러 재무장관, 미국 초청으로 4년 만에 G20 대면 참석…유럽, 사진촬영 거부

The Russian Finance Minister, Anton Siluanov, attended the G20 financial ministers' meeting in Ashville, North Carolina on January 31st for the first time since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. This marked a significant shift in Russia's international standing after being largely excluded from the international stage since the invasion.

The attendance was organized by the U.S. administration under President Donald Trump, and the U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Bannon had a separate meeting with Siluanov during the conference, discussing peace talks as proposed by Trump. The Russian Treasury also discussed financial cooperation and communication within the G20 framework with the two ministers.

European nations immediately reacted negatively to Russia's participation. German Vice-Chancellor and Finance Minister, Lars Klöncing, called the U.S. invitation a "reconciliation attempt" and criticized the idea that a Russian finance minister should be treated like other attendees during wartime. He emphasized that the German delegation had told Siluanov that Russia needed to end the war, and that he had made it clear to him what the war was doing and how Germany was firmly on Ukraine's side.

European finance ministers declined to participate in the traditional joint photo session that follows the meeting, and Siluanov also refused to take part in the photograph. According to The New York Times, Siluanov did not attend the session. Siluanov had participated in the meeting remotely via video link after the invasion in April 2022, at which time some European finance ministers protested by leaving the meeting.

Since then, Russia's status as a G20 member has been limited to remote participation in high-level meetings, while remote participation in other meetings has been extensive. Russian President Vladimir Putin has not attended any G20 summits since 2019, and at recent summits, Russia has been represented primarily by high-ranking Kremlin officials.

The U.S. decision to invite the Russian finance minister to the financial ministers' meeting is seen as a move to distance itself from the outgoing Trump administration and European approach of excluding Russia diplomatically after the Ukraine war. This comes after Trump reportedly expressed positive views on a three-way meeting between Trump, Putin, and Biden at the G20 in Miami in December.