During the G20 finance ministers summit in the U.S., a meeting took place between U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and the Russian delegation led by Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov. This was reported by Fox Business and other American media. According to the media, the parties discussed U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to end the war waged by Russia against Ukraine, as well as economic cooperation between the U.S. and Russia. Later, the Russian Ministry of Finance confirmed the meeting between the two ministers. As stated in the message from the Russian agency, "issues of cooperation between Russia and the U.S. in the financial sphere, as well as issues of interaction within the G20, were discussed." ### Trump Explained Siluanov's Invitation Commenting on the presence of the Russian minister at the G20 summit in Asheville, North Carolina, Donald Trump stated that Washington "likes to get along well with everyone." "One of the reasons I am so successful is that I meet with everyone," Trump said. ### The Appearance of the Russian Minister Caused Tension According to the New York Times, due to the unexpected presence of Anton Siluanov, the beginning of the G20 meeting took place in a tense atmosphere. This was the first instance since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 that a Russian minister personally attended such a meeting. European allies were outraged by the American decision to invite Siluanov to the summit. German Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil publicly condemned the Russian minister in connection with Russian aggression against Ukraine and expressed dissatisfaction with the U.S. position in deciding to host such a guest. ### Europeans Threatened to Boycott the Group Photo The dissatisfaction of European participants escalated to a threat of a demonstrative step. Klingbeil and his colleagues from several European countries threatened to refuse to participate in the traditional group photograph of the ministers if Siluanov was included. As noted by the publication, this threat had an effect: the Russian minister was absent from the group photo. Thus, the meeting between the U.S. and Russian finance ministers became one of the most notable political episodes of the G20 summit. Moscow and Washington discussed financial and economic interaction, while American media also reported on the conversation surrounding Trump's plan to end the war in Ukraine. At the same time, the very fact of inviting the Russian minister for the first time since 2022 provoked a sharp reaction from the U.S. European allies — up to the threat of boycotting the official photograph.
