US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has defended his invitation to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov for the G20 foreign ministers' meeting in Atlanta. He said talks with the Russian side are necessary if Washington wants to help reach a negotiated solution to the war in Ukraine.
“How are you going to reach a negotiated agreement between Russia and Ukraine if you can't negotiate with both Russia and Ukraine?“, Rubio said at a press conference after the meeting. He said Lavrov's presence was “another opportunity” to maintain contact with the Russian side.
Washington: Talks do not mean support
Rubio pointed out that President Donald Trump does not consider meetings and conversations with a leader as support for all his actions or positions. According to the Secretary of State, the US administration views communication as a practical necessity, not as political approval.
“The president does not believe that meeting or talking with someone means that you legitimize everything that person does or agree with everything that they stand for“, Rubio said.
He added that the US is talking regularly with Ukraine, but must also maintain the possibility of contact with Russia. Rubio also referred to the risk of escalation between two countries that have nuclear weapons.
Lavrov was in Atlanta, but there was no joint photo
The meeting of G-20 foreign ministers was held on October 30 and 31. Sergey Lavrov participated in the meetings, but the planned joint photo was canceled after European representatives objected to being photographed with the Russian minister.
The forum ended without a joint communiqué. Instead, Marco Rubio presented a closing position of the country presiding over the meeting. The disagreements were mainly related to the war in Ukraine, the conflict in the Middle East and Russia's role in international relations.
Rubio specified that he did not hold an official bilateral meeting with Lavrov in Atlanta. The two briefly discussed possible contacts between the US and Russian presidents during the APEC meeting in November.
Putin has not yet confirmed his participation in Miami
The US has invited Vladimir Putin to the G20 summit, which is due to be held in Miami in December. Rubio said there is currently no confirmation whether the Russian president will accept the invitation.
Sources: apnews.com, euronews.com