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Russia Returns to G20 as Europe Objects and Refuses to Pose With Its Minister
🇷🇸 Serbia /Elections & Politics

Russia Returns to G20 as Europe Objects and Refuses to Pose With Its Minister

From N1 Serbia · () Serbian

Translated from Serbian and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Newswire Named sources Ongoing story
  • The United States included Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov in the first day of G20 talks hosted by Washington, marking a shift from the Biden administration’s approach after Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
  • U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent held a one-on-one meeting with Siluanov and said the war must end, while a Treasury official said Washington would not offer Russia economic relief before that happens.
  • European officials, led by Germany’s Lars Klingbeil, refused to pose for a group photograph with Siluanov, and the final picture excluded both the minister and the Russian delegation.

Russia’s return to a gathering of the world’s leading economies created an immediate confrontation with Europe. Anton Siluanov, Russia’s finance minister, attended the opening day of the G20 talks in Asheville, hosted by the United States under President Donald Trump’s administration.

Scott Bessent, the U.S. Treasury secretary, also met Siluanov privately on the sidelines. Erin Brown, the Treasury’s undersecretary for international affairs, said Bessent told the Russian minister that the war in Ukraine must end and that Washington wanted a peaceful outcome. The Treasury said the talks covered Trump’s plan for peace and economic growth.

We follow White House protocol.

— Erin BrownThe U.S. Treasury official explained why Russia was included in the G20 meeting.

Brown said the decision to include Russia came from the White House. “We follow White House protocol,” she told Politico. Trump defended the move when reporters asked about Russia’s participation, saying, “We like to get along with everybody. One of the reasons I’ve been so successful is because I get along with everybody.”

We like to get along with everybody. One of the reasons I’ve been so successful is because I get along with everybody.

— Donald TrumpTrump defended the decision to include Russia when reporters asked about its participation.

The meeting did not signal an economic opening for Moscow, however. A person familiar with the discussion told Politico that Bessent made clear the United States would not provide Russia with economic relief until the war ended.

European officials objected to Siluanov’s presence, particularly when organizers prepared the group photograph. Germany’s Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil said he had made clear that he would not pose with his Russian counterpart and had coordinated that position with other European officials. “The united European approach ultimately meant that the group photo was taken without the Russian finance minister and without the Russian delegation,” Klingbeil said. The Treasury later released a photograph excluding them.

The united European approach ultimately meant that the group photo was taken without the Russian finance minister and without the Russian delegation.

— Lars KlingbeilGermany’s finance minister described the coordinated European refusal to pose with the Russian delegation.
About this summary

Originally published by N1 Serbia in Serbian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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