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G20 Diplomats Face Deep Rifts 10/30 06:30
The top diplomats from the Group of 20 largest world economies, including
envoys from Russia and China, are meeting in Atlanta as they face deep rifts
over multiple wars and other global crises that threaten international security
and trade.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The top diplomats from the Group of 20 largest world
economies, including envoys from Russia and China, are meeting in Atlanta as
they face deep rifts over multiple wars and other global crises that threaten
international security and trade.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will chair the gathering Friday and
Saturday that will set the stage for a G20 leaders summit hosted by President
Donald Trump at his Miami golf club in December.
There appears to be little chance that the group will come to a consensus on
many of the most contentious issues. Among those are the Russia-Ukraine
conflict, the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran, U.S. tariffs and Chinese
machinations in the South China Sea. All have contributed to spikes in the
global cost of fuel as well as uncertainty about trade.
U.S. officials say their top priority for the meeting is resolving
differences over issues related to freedom of navigation, particularly in the
Strait of Hormuz, the Red Sea, the Black Sea and the South China Sea. The topic
will include discussions on Iran, Russia-Ukraine and China and its smaller
neighbors.
But hanging over the meeting is the prospect of new U.S. military
intervention in Iran, which has put the region, including G20 member Saudi
Arabia, on edge.
The Associated Press has reported that U.S. officials have told several
Middle East countries and regional allies to be prepared for potential renewed
military strikes against Iran after Tuesday's midterm elections and the
possibility that Iran will retaliate against them.
Some G20 countries have expressed concern that the U.S. invited Russia,
which will be represented in Atlanta by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, during
its heightened attacks on Ukraine. China will be represented by a deputy
foreign minister, but most other countries have sent their top diplomat, U.S.
officials say.
Russia's presence at G20 gathering may roil Western allies
It is not clear if Russian President Vladimir Putin will accept Trump's
invitation to the December summit in Florida, although U.S. allies in Europe
are uneasy with Russia's presence, especially after Trump pushed ties with
Ukraine to new lows by waiving fresh sanctions on Moscow and temporarily
limiting logistical and intelligence assistance.
Russia's foreign ministry complained of issues securing visas for its
delegation that were only resolved at the last minute. Those complications had
created the impression that "not everyone in Washington is happy" about Lavrov
attending, ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said. But he would use the
meeting to advocate for the "swift reform of global economic institutions" and
to promote Russia's vision of a "multipolar world," she said.
Lavrov has traveled very infrequently to NATO member states since Russia
invaded Ukraine in February 2022 and the resulting severe sanctions were
imposed on Moscow. His presence in Atlanta is likely to cause both domestic
political problems for Trump just days before the midterm elections and roil at
least the G20's Western participants, according to Ian Kelly, a U.S. ambassador
to Georgia during Trump's first term.
"It seems politically boneheaded to invite him," said Kelly, who now teaches
international relations and diplomacy at Northwestern University outside
Chicago.
Kelly noted that many Republican lawmakers, who are already fearful of
losing their congressional majorities, are "cranky" with Trump's conciliatory
approach to Putin. Democrats, he added, could use the invitation to bash the
GOP ahead of Tuesday's vote.
In terms of the G20 itself, Lavrov's attendance will almost certainly hurt
efforts to produce a unified approach on the Russia-Ukraine war, Kelly said.
"It will definitely take away from the message that at least the Western
members want to send."
Ukraine, which is not a G20 member but was invited to attend previous such
meetings, was not invited this year as U.S. officials said they made a
conscious choice to only include formal members of the group.
Also missing from the Atlanta invitee list is South Africa, which is
embroiled in several bitter disputes with the Trump administration. South
Africa chaired the G20 last year and top U.S. officials, including Trump and
Rubio, shunned the meetings it hosted.
Trump administration is urging countries to work together on global crises
The State Department said Rubio sees the event as a way "to advance
practical cooperation on shared economic and security challenges" and his
priority is for the group to seek solutions to "geopolitical crises
contributing to global economic shocks." It pointed to threats to freedom of
navigation, energy and food security and preserving supply chains of critical
minerals.
However, there is skepticism that the G20 members will be able to overcome
their substantial differences.
It will be less of a meeting and more of a test, said Elaine Dezenski, the
head of the Center on Economic and Financial Power at the Foundation for
Defense of Democracies, a Washington think tank that is hawkish on Iran and
other issues.
"The Atlanta meeting takes place within an environment of widening
disagreement over the global economic order, and the right test is whether the
U.S. can build cooperation with partners when all member consensus appears to
be out of reach," she said during a conference call with reporters.
She said the Trump administration had shown a willingness to work -- and not
insignificant success -- outside the G20 framework to build coalitions that
advance its foreign policy goals.
"The meeting offers a chance to assess whether the U.S. can turn shared
economic security concerns into more meaningful cooperation with partners even
without the consensus," she said.
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