US cancels G20 ‘family photo’ after Australia, UK and others refuse to appear with Russia
Marco Rubio pulls plug on traditional photo op at meeting of foreign ministers after about one-third of countries threaten boycott The traditional “family photo” to open the G20 fo
By The Guardian
The United States cancelled the traditional G20 “family photo” after Australia, the UK and other countries objected to appearing alongside Russia’s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov.
The photograph had been due to take place at the G20 foreign ministers’ meeting in Atlanta on Friday, 30 October 2026. It was removed from the official programme after several delegations indicated they would not take part.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who hosted the two-day meeting, decided to abandon the photograph rather than allow it to become a diplomatic dispute.
A US official said the decision was taken after it became clear that some delegations were unwilling to join a single photograph. The official said the United States wanted to keep attention on the meeting’s discussions and shared priorities.
More than one-third of the participating officials were reportedly opposed to being photographed with Lavrov, according to a Western diplomat. Australia, Canada, the UK and several European countries were among those said to have objected.
Germany’s foreign minister, Johann Wadephul, said there would be no family photograph showing European partners with Lavrov because “there is no normalcy with Russia”.
The photograph is a customary feature of major international ministerial meetings and is intended to show the participating countries together. Officials had reportedly considered separate photographs, including one with Lavrov and another without him, before the plan was dropped altogether.
Lavrov’s attendance had already exposed divisions among G20 members. Russia’s continuing war in Ukraine has made joint appearances with Russian officials politically sensitive for several Western governments.
Rubio opened the meeting by warning that the world faced a “moment of choosing” amid rising economic and geopolitical tensions. The G20 foreign ministers’ meeting was scheduled to run for two days in Atlanta.