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 consensus on many of the most contentious issues they face. Among them are the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran, U.S. tariffs and Chinese machinations in the South China Sea. All have contributed to spikes in the global cost of fuel as well as uncertainty about trade.

Rubio focused on casting ahead when opening the talks, saying he hoped for “a productive meeting.”

“We are in a critical moment — I would call it a moment of choosing, and I would say not just for my country, the United States of America, but frankly, for the world,” he said. “We are facing a series of interconnected economic and geopolitical crises,” he added, many posing “severe threats to essential foundations of the global economic order.”

Russia’s presence at G20 gathering roils Western allies

Before the photo disagreement, some G20 countries had already expressed concern that the U.S. invited Russia during its heightened attacks on Ukraine. That is especially after Trump pushed ties with Ukraine to new lows by waiving fresh sanctions on Moscow and temporarily limiting logistical and intelligence assistance.

Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski said the cancellation of the group photo was “the right decision” by the U.S., telling media in Atlanta that “I am not the only one who does not want to be photographed with Lavrov.”

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said “there is no normality with Russia” but “we must exchange the controversies at the table here,” the German news agency dpa reported. He added that “we also must not send falsely optimistic signals.”

Russia’s foreign ministry complained of issues securing visas for its delegation that were only resolved at the last minute. Those complications had created the impression that “not everyone in Washington is happy” about Lavrov attending, ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said. But he would use the meeting to advocate for the “swift reform of global economic institutions,” she said.

Lavrov has traveled very infrequently to NATO member states since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 and resulting severe sanctions were imposed on Moscow. His presence in Atlanta is likely to cause domestic political problems for Trump just days before the midterm elections as well as roil the G20’s Western participants, according to Ian Kelly, a U.S. ambassador to Georgia during Trump’s first term.

“It seems politically boneheaded to invite him,” said Kelly, who now teaches international relations and diplomacy at Northwestern University outside Chicago.

Kelly noted that many Republican lawmakers, who already fear losing their congressional majorities, are “cranky” with Trump’s conciliatory approach to Putin.

At the G20 event, Lavrov’s attendance will almost certainly hurt efforts to produce a unified approach on the Russia-Ukraine war, Kelly said. “It will definitely take away from the message that at least the Western members want to send,” he said.

It is unclear if Russian President Vladimir Putin will accept Trump’s invitation to the December summit in Florida.

G20 member South Africa was not invited

Ukraine, which is not a G20 member but was invited to attend previous such meetings, was not invited this year as U.S. officials said they made a conscious choice to include only formal members of the group.

But missing from the invite list was South Africa, a G20 founding member and the only African country in the group. South Africa is embroiled in several bitter disputes with the Trump administration, and when it chaired the G20 last year, top U.S. officials, including Trump and Rubio, shunned the meetings it hosted.

“We have consistently maintained that our nonparticipation is not voluntary,” said Phindile Kunene, spokesperson for South African Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola.

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.

The Iran war hangs over the G20 event

The U.S. has said a 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. The topic will include discussions on Iran, Russia-Ukraine and China and its smaller neighbors.

But hanging over the meeting is the prospect of new U.S. military intervention in Iran, which has put the region, including G20 member Saudi Arabia, on edge.

The Associated Press has reported that U.S. 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.

There is skepticism that the G20 members will be able to overcome their substantial differences.

It will be less of a meeting and more of a test, said Elaine Dezenski, 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.

“The Atlanta meeting takes place within an environment of widening disagreement over the global economic order, and the right test is whether the U.S. can build cooperation with partners when all member consensus appears to be out of reach,” she told reporters.

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Associated Press writers Michelle Gumede in Johannesburg, South Africa, Claudia Ciobanu in Warsaw, Poland, Geir Moulson in Berlin and Farnoush Amiri in New York contributed.