'Europeans balked': G20 foreign ministers' meeting opens without group photo. Here's why

Foreign ministers of the G20 largest economies began a two-day meeting in the US on Friday (local time), with the gathering notably skipping the customary group photograph.According to reports, US secretary of state Marco Rubio cancelled the traditional group photo after several European officials threatened to boycott or walk out over Russia's participation. Moscow is being represented by foreign minister Sergei Lavrov at the summit in Atlanta.Two US officials told The Associated Press that European officials "balked" at the prospect of being photographed with Lavrov, prompting Rubio to cancel the picture to avoid what could possibly become a “distraction.”Several G20 countries had already raised concerns over the US inviting Russia despite Moscow's war against Ukraine, which began in February 2022.In a statement, the British Foreign Office reiterated the UK's longstanding policy of avoiding direct bilateral engagement with Russian ministers over the war in Ukraine, adding that it had "no plans" to change its stance.Polish deputy Prime Minister Radosław Sikorski, who is also the country's foreign minister, called the cancellation of the group photograph “the right decision.” Speak...