Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov arrived in the United States on Friday (October 30) for a meeting of G20 foreign ministers in Atlanta, despite calls from American lawmakers to exclude him from the country as Moscow continues its war and deadly attacks on Ukrainian civilians.
Lavrov’s arrival, reported by Russian state news agency TASS, comes days after Russian strikes killed civilians across Ukraine, including 14 people at a Dnipro train station.
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The Kremlin’s top diplomat, under US sanctions since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, is expected to use the October 30-31 meeting to criticize Western sanctions against Moscow, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry.
US lawmakers oppose Lavrov’s visit
Republican Rep. Don Bacon strongly condemned Lavrov’s visit, calling for the Russian foreign minister to be barred from entering the United States as Moscow continues its deadly attacks on Ukrainian cities.
“Lavrov should not be allowed into the country. As long as Putin is waging war on Ukraine and bombing cities, Russian leaders should not be welcome in any of these forums. They are running a pariah state,” Bacon wrote on X on Wednesday, October 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 granting diplomatic legitimacy to Putin’s regime while Russian forces continue to kill Ukrainian civilians.
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“Donald Trump needs to wake up,” Shaheen said in an October 8 interview with CNN. “He needs to understand that courting favors 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 U.S. soil, urged the administration to increase pressure on Moscow rather than reward it with international recognition.
In their letter to Trump, the senators question why Russia should enjoy diplomatic legitimacy while continuing its deadly attacks on Ukrainian cities and civilian infrastructure.
The bipartisan criticism comes just days before the November 3 US midterm elections, as the Trump administration faces questions about its approach to Moscow amid continued Russian strikes against Ukraine.
Russia to challenge sanctions at G20
The Russian Foreign Ministry said Lavrov would use his appearance to oppose economic sanctions and other trade restrictions, presenting them as instruments of pressure.
The Russian delegation also intends to promote Moscow’s vision of a multipolar international order.
This visit comes as Washington prepares new trilateral negotiations involving the United States, Ukraine and Russia, expected in November in Abu Dhabi.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is hosting the G20 summit, which will address key international disputes related to energy security, trade and global supply chains.
The meeting also comes ahead of the December 14-15 G20 leaders’ summit at President Trump’s Doral Resort in Miami, to which Putin has been invited. Its presence is still not confirmed.
According to the State Department delegation list, Lavrov will be present alongside foreign ministers from major European and NATO 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 Minister of Foreign Affairs Ma Zhaoxu rather than Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
Ukraine was not invited, although it had participated in previous G20 meetings as a guest. U.S. officials said the move reflected a policy of limiting invitations to official members. South Africa was also excluded due to tensions with Washington.
Russia’s participation has unsettled some Western allies, who have questioned the invitation as Moscow steps up its attacks on Ukraine.
The G20 meeting opens as Washington seeks to renew its diplomatic engagement with Moscow, while Ukraine and its European partners continue to push for tougher sanctions and security guarantees.
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