US Cancels Traditional G20 Group Photo After Europeans Object to Posing With Russia's Lavrov

Summary

The United States scrapped its traditional G20 group photo after some European diplomats refused to pose alongside Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. NDTV reported that Europeans baulked at being photographed with him. The Straits Times reported that the distaste for the Russian diplomat forced the US to cancel the G20 photo session.

Timeline

1. NDTV

   31 Oct 2026, 03:48 UTCSource ↗

   NDTV reports that the US scrapped the traditional G20 photo as Europeans objected to posing with Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, and that Europeans baulked at being photographed with him.

2. The Straits Times

   31 Oct 2026, 22:48 UTCSource ↗

   The Straits Times reports that distaste for the Russian diplomat forced the US to cancel the G-20 photo session, and that some diplomats refused to pose alongside Russia's top diplomat, Sergey Lavrov.