The United States' decision on Monday to welcome Russia back to a G-20 meeting while denying access to some journalists unsettled several finance leaders attending, distracting from Washington's effort to center the talks on global economic growth.
The two-day meeting in Asheville, North Carolina, came as the global economy is being buffeted by an energy shock triggered by the Iran war, faces rising tensions over China's huge goods trade surplus and is braced for how an investment surge in AI will ultimately play out.
As U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent opened the meeting, some ministers were surprised and dismayed to see Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov sitting at the G-20 table, the first time they had attended the forum in person since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.
A traditional "family photo" of officials was taken Monday without Siluanov, and away from credentialed media, as European officials declined to appear in a picture with their Russian counterpart.
EU economy chief Valdis Dombrovskis said Tuesday that it is not the time to "normalize" Moscow's presence.
