Wadephul told reporters that there would be no family photo featuring European partners together with Mr. Lavrov, insisting that they must avoid sending the wrong visual signals.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s attendance at a G20 meeting in the US has sparked anger among European diplomats, with several reportedly threatening to boycott a group photo. The meeting, held in Atlanta, Georgia, precedes the G20 leaders’ summit scheduled for mid-December in Florida.
According to the report, Germany’s top diplomat, Johann Wadephul, objected to being photographed alongside Lavrov but ended up in the same frame as him. Wadephul told reporters that there would be no family photo featuring European partners together with Mr. Lavrov, insisting that they must avoid sending the wrong visual signals.
The US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, eventually scrapped the traditional group photo after European foreign ministers reportedly refused to stand alongside Lavrov and threatened to walk out. However, a photograph of the G20’s first plenary session showed Wadephul casting a sidelong glance at Lavrov, which was seized upon by Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.
Zakharova suggested in a Telegram post that Western journalists had disregarded the German diplomat’s objections by capturing the two ministers together. She also pointed out that Wadephul himself had requested a last-minute meeting with Lavrov on the sidelines of the 81st UN General Assembly just a month earlier. The encounter was their first since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022.
The dispute in Atlanta follows earlier European objections to Washington’s decision to restore Russian participation in G20 gatherings. The incident highlights the ongoing tensions between Russia and European countries, particularly in the context of the Ukraine conflict. It also underscores the challenges faced by the US in navigating its relationships with both Russia and its European allies.
