G20 foreign ministers ended two days of talks in Atlanta without agreeing on several global security issues, with divisions over Russia's war in Ukraine casting a shadow over the meeting. The group will issue a chairman's statement instead of a joint communique.
Top diplomats from the Group of 20 largest world economies wrapped up two days of talks Saturday without consensus on several critical global security issues. As a result, the group did not release a joint communique and will rely on a chairman's statement that Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he would release later Saturday.
At the closing news conference, Rubio told reporters that some G20 countries are working together on solutions, particularly in the realm of supply chains and critical minerals. The final session on supply chains examined freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and the Red, Black and South China seas.
Group photo canceled over Russia's attendance
Rubio opened the talks Friday with an appeal for unity, but he then canceled the traditional group photo. European diplomats objected to including Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and threatened to boycott or walk out of the snapshot.
Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski, attending a G20 meeting for the first time as a guest, said he was not surprised. According to Sikorski: "We have wars going on, and we have participants in those wars around the table" he told reporters.
Disagreements run beyond Ukraine
Diplomats who spoke anonymously said a chairman's statement had long been the plan because of major differences, including over the Russia-Ukraine war, the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran, U.S. tariffs and Chinese moves in the South China Sea. All have contributed to spikes in global fuel costs, as well as uncertainty about trade.
The State Department, however, announced Friday that it had approved a proposed $2.1 billion sale of Patriot air defense interceptors for Ukraine. Meanwhile, the participants said they had agreed to try to overcome their differences and to work to make next month's summit of G20 leaders in Florida a success.
It is unclear whether Russian President Vladimir Putin will accept Trump's invitation to attend.
Source: CNBC
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