U.S. scraps G20’s opening photo after Europeans balk at posing with Russia’s Lavrov
Source: Fortune ·
“It seems politically boneheaded to invite him,” said Kelly, who now teaches international relations and diplomacy at Northwestern University outside Chicago.
From the source
The U.S. scrapped plans for a photo of top diplomats of the Group of 20 largest world economies on the opening day of talks Friday as several Europeans objected to being photographed with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and threatened to walk out of the photo session. The cancellation of the photograph, a traditional opening event at such a diplomatic gathering, underscored the deep rifts in the G20 over global crises that threaten international security and trade. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio decided to cancel the photo after determining that the controversy would be a distraction, according to two U.S. officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter. The meeting in Atlanta, which will otherwise go ahead as planned, is meant to set the stage for a G20 leaders’ summit hosted by President Donald Trump at his Miami golf club in December. The cancellation has added to concerns about the poor prospects for the G20 diplomats to reach…