US President Donald Trump welcomed the presence of a senior Russian delegation at the G20, ignoring protests from EU officials who refused to appear alongside Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov in the gathering’s traditional “family photo.”
Siluanov arrived in Asheville, North Carolina for the two-day meeting of G20 finance ministers and central bank governors on Monday at the invitation of the Trump administration. His first in-person appearance at the forum since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022 immediately drew protests from European delegates.
German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil called the decision to treat Siluanov as a regular participant a “troubling” signal. Other EU officials reportedly threatened to boycott the photo unless the Russian official was excluded, according to the Washington Post.
Trump brushed aside the criticism when asked about Siluanov’s visit.
“We’re going to see what happens, but we like getting along with everybody,” he told reporters in the Oval Office. “One of the reasons that I’m so successful, I get along with everybody.”
Unlike the Europeans, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent held a bilateral meeting with Siluanov. Moscow said the two discussed Russian-US cooperation on financial issues and coordination within the G20.
US officials said Bessent also raised Trump’s plan for settling the Ukraine conflict and prospects for bilateral economic cooperation and growth. Other reports suggested that the US side made it clear that it would not offer Moscow economic relief or agreements in other areas before the hostilities end.
Siluanov took part in G20 discussions on the global economy, economic growth, and sovereign debt. He warned that “geopolitical fragmentation” is increasingly obstructing the free movement of goods, capital, and technology, while pointing to automation, AI, and import substitution as emerging drivers of Russian growth.
Trump has repeatedly broken with America’s European allies over efforts to keep Russia diplomatically isolated. He argued that kicking Russia out of the G8 in 2014 was a mistake. In 2025, he said Russia “should be sitting at the table” and suggested that the Ukraine conflict could have been avoided if Russia had been in the group. He repeated the argument this year, saying the G8 should have been preserved.
The US president has taken the same approach toward the G20. In April, he said it would probably be “very helpful” if Russian President Vladimir Putin attended the leaders’ summit in Miami in December.
“I’m of the opinion that you talk to everybody,” Trump said at the time. “I’m somebody that believes in talking.” The US subsequently invited Russia to the summit. Moscow accepted the invitation, while leaving open who will represent the country.