The foreign ministers of the G20 wrapped up on this Saturday, the 31st, two days of meetings in Atlanta, United States, without reaching consensus on central international security issues, amid divergences over the war between Russia and Ukraine, the conflict in Iran, and American trade tariffs. The group did not issue a joint statement and presented only a presidency declaration, without mentioning any agreements reached.
“I won’t pretend that we are close to finding universally accepted solutions to these problems,” said the American Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, at a press conference. He emphasized, however, that some countries are working together on issues such as supply chains and critical minerals.
The divergences were evident with the cancellation of the traditional official photo of the ministers, after European representatives threatened to boycott the register due to the presence of Russia’s Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov. There were also disagreements over the Trump administration’s decision not to invite South Africa, a G20 member, to the meeting.
Regarding the war in Ukraine, Rubio said he did not know if a negotiated peace is possible and said he did not believe that anyone was claiming that a negotiated agreement was near. The secretary, however, defended invitations to Lavrov for the Atlanta meeting and to Russian President Vladimir Putin for the December summit, arguing that it would be impossible to resolve the conflict peacefully without talking to both sides.
The possibility of a new American military intervention in Iran was also in the background of the meeting. U.S. authorities warned Middle Eastern countries about the possibility of new attacks after the U.S. congressional elections on Tuesday, November 3, and of a potential Iranian retaliation. The security of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz was among the priorities addressed by the foreign ministers.
The meeting served as preparation for the G20 leaders’ summit, scheduled for December, in Florida, under the presidency of Donald Trump. Source: Associated Press.
*Content translated with the aid of Artificial Intelligence, reviewed and edited by the Broadcast Editorial Desk, the real-time news system of Grupo Estado.
