Europe appalled by U.S. inviting Russian minister to G20 meeting

European officials were taken aback and furious by the U.S. decision to invite Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov to the G20 meeting of finance ministers and central bank governors in Asheville, North Carolina, according to The New York Times on August 31. German Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil expressed his disapproval to reporters, reprimanding his Russian counterpart for Russia's invasion of Ukraine and demanding an end to the conflict.

Klingbeil also criticized the Trump administration for granting Siluanov a regular guest status, stating, "I would have preferred clear positioning from the U.S. side that he not be received like a regular guest." European representatives unanimously opposed including Siluanov in a typical group photo from the summit and threatened a boycott if he was present, which was eventually carried out.

Prior to the meeting, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had a private meeting with Siluanov off the summit's main agenda. In 2022, then-U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen walked out of a G20 session when Siluanov, speaking virtually, began addressing the meeting. In 2023, Yellen confronted Russian Finance Ministry representatives at a G20 meeting in India, accusing them of causing deaths in Ukraine and attributing global economic consequences to the war.