Russian Foreign Minister Arrives in US for G20 Amid Outcry

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov arrived in the US on Friday, Oct. 30, for a G20 foreign ministers’ meeting in Atlanta, despite calls from US lawmakers to bar him from the country while Moscow continues its war and deadly attacks on Ukrainian civilians.

Lavrov’s arrival, reported by Russia’s state-owned TASS news agency, comes days after Russian strikes killed civilians across Ukraine, including 14 people at a railway station in Dnipro.

The Kremlin’s top diplomat, under US sanctions since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, is expected to use the Oct. 30-31 gathering to criticize Western sanctions against Moscow, according to Russia’s Foreign Ministry.

US lawmakers object to Lavrov’s visit

Republican Rep. Don Bacon sharply condemned Lavrov’s visit, calling for the Russian foreign minister to be barred from entering the US while Moscow continues its deadly attacks on Ukrainian cities.

“Lavrov should not be allowed in the country. As long as Putin is waging war against Ukraine and bombing cities, Russian leaders should not be welcomed in any of these forums. They lead a pariah state,” Bacon wrote on X on Wednesday, Oct. 28.

Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, also sharply criticized Trump’s approach to Moscow, demanding that Washington stop extending diplomatic legitimacy to Putin’s regime while Russian forces continue killing Ukrainian civilians.

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“Donald Trump needs to wake up,” Shaheen said in an Oct. 8 CNN interview. “He needs to understand that courting favor with Vladimir Putin is not good for America.”

Shaheen, who joined 13 bipartisan senators in calling for Putin and other sanctioned Russian officials to be barred from G20 events on US soil, urged the administration to increase pressure on Moscow rather than reward it with international recognition.

In their letter to Trump, the senators questioned why Russia should receive diplomatic legitimacy while continuing its deadly attacks on Ukraine’s cities and civilian infrastructure.

The bipartisan criticism comes just days before the Nov. 3 US midterm elections, with the Trump administration facing questions over its approach to Moscow amid continued Russian strikes on Ukraine.

Russia to challenge sanctions at G20

Russia’s Foreign Ministry said Lavrov would use his appearance to argue against economic sanctions and other trade restrictions, portraying them as instruments of pressure.

The Russian delegation also intends to promote Moscow’s vision of a multipolar international order.

The visit comes as Washington prepares new trilateral talks involving the US, Ukraine, and Russia, expected in November in Abu Dhabi.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is hosting the G20 gathering, which will address major international disputes alongside energy security, trade and global supply chains.

The meeting also precedes the Dec. 14-15 G20 leaders’ summit at President Trump’s Doral resort in Miami, to which Putin has been invited. His attendance remains unconfirmed.

According to the State Department’s delegation list, Lavrov is attending alongside foreign ministers from major NATO and European countries, including Germany’s Johann Wadephul, France’s Jean-Noël Barrot, Poland’s Radosław Sikorski, Canada’s Anita Anand, and Turkey’s Hakan Fidan.

Other participants include EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, Britain’s Ed Miliband, Australia’s Penny Wong, India’s Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, and Japan’s Toshimitsu Motegi.

China is represented by Executive Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu rather than Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

Ukraine was not invited, although it had participated in previous G20 meetings as a guest. US officials said the decision reflected a policy of limiting invitations to formal members. South Africa was also excluded amid tensions with Washington.

Russia’s participation has unsettled some Western allies, who have questioned the invitation while Moscow intensifies its attacks on Ukraine.

The G20 meeting opens as Washington seeks renewed diplomatic engagement with Moscow, while Ukraine and its European partners continue pressing for stronger sanctions and security guarantees.