A group photo at this week’s G20 finance meeting in Asheville, North Carolina, became a source of disagreement after European officials objected to including Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov. When officials gathered for the picture, Siluanov and the Russian delegation were not included.
Siluanov still took part in the talks Monday. It was his first time attending a G20 meeting in person in the United States since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and the United States had sanctioned him in April of that year.
Siluanov has served as Russia’s finance minister since 2011 and is considered one of President Vladimir Putin’s trusted Cabinet members. His return to a U.S.-hosted meeting frustrated several European officials who want Russia to remain isolated while the war continues.
German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil was one of the officials who objected to Siluanov’s presence. He said he was not willing to take part in a group picture with the Russian minister and had discussed the issue with other European representatives.
Klingbeil was also concerned about what welcoming Siluanov could suggest about relations with Russia. During the talks, he said he spoke directly to Siluanov and told him Russia needed to end the war, while also making clear that Germany continued to support Ukraine.
Other European representatives raised concerns as well. Valdis Dombrovskis, the European commissioner for the economy, said the European Union did not believe relations with Russia should begin returning to normal while the country was still at war with Ukraine.
Polish Finance Minister Andrzej Domanski also said he was unhappy that Russia had a representative at the gathering. He acknowledged that the country hosting a G20 meeting can decide who attends, but said his distrust of Russia would make it difficult for him to have a regular discussion with Russian officials.
Despite the disagreement over his attendance, Siluanov spoke separately with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent while they were in Asheville. Russia’s Finance Ministry described their conversation as dealing with possible cooperation between Russia and the United States through the G20.
The U.S. account placed more attention on the war in Ukraine. According to a source familiar with the discussion, Bessent told Siluanov that Moscow should not expect the United States to ease its economic pressure while the fighting continued.
Siluanov then tried to raise other subjects that could involve cooperation between the two countries, according to the source. Bessent stopped that part of the discussion and told him those possibilities could not move ahead before the war ended.
Bessent later gave few details about Siluanov’s reaction. When asked about what the Russian minister had said, Bessent indicated that some parts of conversations between officials were better kept private.
U.S. officials also explained why Russia was represented at the gathering despite the objections. Treasury Undersecretary for International Affairs Erin Browne said Russia was invited because it remains part of the G20, and she defended continuing communication between countries even during periods of conflict.
President Donald Trump supported the decision when reporters questioned him Monday. Rather than giving details about Siluanov specifically, Trump said his approach involves trying to maintain relations with other countries.
The response was different at a G20 meeting in Washington in April 2022. Siluanov appeared remotely at that gathering, and officials from several Western countries walked out when it was his turn to speak.
Russia was removed from the Group of Eight after its annexation of Crimea in 2014, but the country remained a member of the G20. In Asheville, Siluanov was able to participate in the discussions and meet with U.S. officials, while some European representatives chose not to stand with him for the traditional group photograph.
G20 Member Countries = Green
Image is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license and was created using MapChart (https://mapchart.net).
