U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov on Monday that Washington will not grant Russia economic relief or negotiate side agreements until Moscow ends its war against Ukraine, a source told Reuters.
The meeting between Bessent and Siluanov took place on the sidelines of a G20 summit of finance ministers and central bank governors in Asheville, North Carolina. The United States currently holds the rotating G20 presidency.
Siluanov's unexpected visit, his first in-person attendance at a G20 event since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, drew immediate criticism from European officials.
"Receiving the Russian finance minister here sends a signal I find troubling," German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil told reporters.
Klingbeil said he would have preferred a clear U.S. stance denying Siluanov a regular guest platform.
