German Finance Minister Protests Russian Presence at G20 in Asheville
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German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil and other European officials refused to pose with Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov at the G20 finance ministers meeting in Asheville, North Carolina. The Russian delegation was absent from the traditional group photo. The protest came after Siluanov held talks with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, which the White House described as productive.
Key Facts
- German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil said he was irritated by the participation of Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov in the G20 meeting in Asheville, North Carolina.
- European officials, including Klingbeil, refused to pose with the Russian minister for the traditional group photo, and the Russian delegation was absent from the final picture.
- Siluanov held talks with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on the first day of the meeting, and the White House described the conversation as productive.
- Klingbeil said Russia has been waging a brutal war against Ukraine for five years and that there can be no return to normal relations.
European Protest
German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil and his European colleagues refused to pose with Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov for the traditional group photo at the G20 meeting in Asheville, North Carolina. The Russian delegation ultimately did not appear in the group picture, and the U.S. Treasury later posted a photo without Siluanov. Klingbeil attributed the outcome to the unified position of European participants. He stated that the Russian finance minister should not be received as an ordinary guest and expressed irritation that the American side had not taken a clear stance.
U.S.-Russia Engagement
Siluanov arrived on the first day of the G20 finance ministers meeting and held talks with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. The White House characterized the conversation as productive, with the main topic being the settlement in Ukraine. Washington's decision allowed Moscow to participate in a format from which it had previously been isolated. In 2022, then-Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen walked out of a G20 session during a Russian delegate's speech, but the United States has now changed its approach to contacts with Moscow.
Klingbeil's Criticism
Klingbeil reminded that Russia has been waging a brutal, internationally unlawful war of aggression against Ukraine for five years. He said people are dying every day and that attacks have intensified again, making it impossible to simply return to normal relations. Klingbeil stated that if Siluanov is already in the room, he would use the opportunity to convey his political messages, but he sees no normalization or easing of the situation.
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German Finance Minister Protests Russian Presence at G20 in Asheville
