A photo of diplomats from the world's 20 largest economies was reportedly scrapped after ministers refused to stand beside Russia's Sergey Lavrov.
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ministers → scrap → Lavrov
G20 officials, including envoys from Russia and China, are meeting in Atlanta, US, as they face deep rifts over multiple wars and other global crises that threaten international security and trade.
But plans for a group photo were axed after foreign ministers objected to being photographed with Mr Lavrov, Russia's top diplomat, according to a report by Associated Press.
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ministers → include → Press
G20 participants even threatened to walk out of the summit if the photo op went ahead, according to US officials.
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op → threaten → officials
Prior to these reports, British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband had planned to boycott the 'family photo' and had asked for a separate photograph to be staged with close allies instead.
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photograph → plan → allies
When asked on Tuesday whether he would shake hands with Mr Lavrov at the G20 summit, Mr Miliband, citing the war in Ukraine, replied: 'We do not engage in that way with the Russians and have not for a number of years.
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We → ask → years
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is chairing the gathering on Friday and Saturday that will set the stage for a G20 leaders' summit hosted by Donald Trump at his Miami golf club in December.
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that → chair → December
There appears to be little chance that the group will come to a consensus on many of the most contentious issues.
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group → appear → issues
Diplomats from the world's 20 largest economies reportedly refused to stand next to Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov (pictured)
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, center rear, heads the opening plenary session of the G20 Foreign Ministers meeting on Friday
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Rubio → refuse → Friday
All have contributed to spikes in the global cost of fuel as well as uncertainty about trade.
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All → contribute → trade
US officials say their top priority for the meeting is resolving differences over issues related to freedom of navigation, particularly in the Strait of Hormuz, the Red Sea, the Black Sea and the South China Sea.
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priority → say → Hormuz
The topic will include discussions on Iran, Russia-Ukraine and China and its smaller neighbors.
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topic → include → Iran
But hanging over the meeting is the prospect of new US military intervention in Iran, which has put the region, including G20 member Saudi Arabia, on edge
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which → hang → edge
The Associated Press has reported that US officials have told several Middle East countries and regional allies to be prepared for potential renewed military strikes against Iran after Tuesday's midterm elections and the possibility that Iran will retaliate against them.
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Iran → report → them
Some G20 countries have expressed concern that the US invited Russia, which will be represented in Atlanta by Mr Lavrov, during its heightened attacks on Ukraine.
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which → express → Ukraine
China will be represented by a deputy foreign minister, but most other countries have sent their top diplomat, US officials say.
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officials → represent → diplomat
The US on Thursday scrapped plans for the family photo with G20 participants, according to two officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.
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who → scrap → matter
The incident has endangered prospects for the world's largest economies to reach consensus on a number of global crises, especially the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
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economies → endanger → crises
The US officials said Mr Rubio decided to cancel the photograph after determining that controversy over it would be a distraction.
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controversy → say → it
It is unclear if Russian president Vladimir Putin will accept Mr Trump's invitation to the December summit in Florida.
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Putin → accept → Florida
US allies in Europe are uneasy with Russia's presence, especially after Mr Trump pushed ties with Ukraine to new lows by waiving fresh sanctions on Moscow and temporarily limiting logistical and intelligence assistance.
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Trump → push → assistance
Russia's foreign ministry complained of issues securing visas for its delegation that were only resolved at the last minute.
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that → complain → minute
Those complications had created the impression that 'not everyone in Washington is happy' about Mr Lavrov attending, ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.
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Zakharova → create → Washington
But he would use the meeting to advocate for the 'swift reform of global economic institutions' and to promote Russia's vision of a 'multipolar world', she said.
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she → use → world
Mr Lavrov has travelled very infrequently to Nato member states since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 and the resulting severe sanctions were imposed on Moscow.
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sanctions → travel → Moscow
His presence in Atlanta is likely to cause both domestic political problems for Mr Trump just days before the midterm elections and roil at least the G20's Western participants, according to Ian Kelly, a US ambassador to Georgia during Mr Trump's first term.
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presence → cause → term
'It seems politically boneheaded to invite him,' said Mr Kelly, who now teaches international relations and diplomacy at Northwestern University outside Chicago.
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who → seem → Chicago
Mr Kelly noted that many Republican lawmakers, who are already fearful of losing their congressional majorities, are 'cranky' with Mr Trump's conciliatory approach to Mr Putin.
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who → note → Putin
Democrats, he added, could use the invitation to bash the GOP ahead of Tuesday's vote.
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he → add → vote
In terms of the G20 itself, Mr Lavrov's attendance will almost certainly hurt efforts to produce a unified approach on the Russia-Ukraine war, Mr Kelly said.
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Kelly → hurt → war
'It will definitely take away from the message that at least the Western members want to send,' he said.
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he → take → that
Ukraine, which is not a G20 member but was invited to attend previous such meetings, was not invited this year as US officials said they made a conscious choice to only include formal members of the group.
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they → invite → group
Also missing from the Atlanta invitee list is South Africa, a G20 founding member and the only African country in the group.
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Africa → miss → group
South Africa is embroiled in several bitter disputes with the Trump administration, and when it chaired the G20 last year, top US officials, including Mr Trump and Mr Rubio, shunned the meetings it hosted.
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it → embroil → meetings
South Africa said on Friday its absence from the meetings was not voluntary.
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absence → say → meetings
'We have consistently maintained that our nonparticipation is not voluntary,' Phindile Kunene, spokesman for South African foreign minister Ronald Lamola, told The Associated Press.
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Kunene → maintain → Press
Kunene welcomed support from other G20 members that had expressed reservations about the exclusion and said South Africa was ready to participate 'on an equal footing with other members' when Britain takes over the presidency next year.
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Britain → welcome → presidency
The State Department said Rubio sees the event as a way 'to advance practical cooperation on shared economic and security challenges' and his priority is for the group to seek solutions to 'geopolitical crises contributing to global economic shocks'.
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group → say → shocks
It pointed to threats to freedom of navigation, energy and food security and preserving supply chains of critical minerals.
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It → point → minerals
However, there is scepticism that the G20 members will be able to overcome their substantial differences.
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members → be → differences
It will be less of a meeting and more of a test, said Elaine Dezenski, the head of the Center on Economic and Financial Power at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a Washington think-tank that is hawkish on Iran and other issues.
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that → say → Iran
…and 21 more, not listed.
The Aporia
