The US opened the G20 finance meeting in Asheville, North Carolina, with Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov attending in person for the first time since the 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Siluanov appeared late on Monday and held a bilateral meeting with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent as the two-day talks got under way.
Asheville G20 opening
Donald Trump said, "We like getting along with everybody" when asked about the first in-person Russian invite since 2022. The presence of Siluanov gave the meeting a sharper edge because the US currently holds the rotating G20 presidency and is hosting the session, making the invitation a direct test of how far Washington is willing to go while the war in Ukraine continues.
Bessent also used the setting to press a harder line on Russia. The US government told several news agencies on condition of anonymity that Bessent told Siluanov the US would not give Russia economic relief until Russia brings its four-and-a-half-year invasion to a close. That leaves the Russian delegation with a seat at the table but no sign of sanctions relief from the US side.
Germany and Poland object
Lars Klingbeil said, "Receiving the Russian finance minsiter here sends a troubling signal." Klingbeil also said he and his European colleagues would not appear in the traditional "family photo" alongside the Russian media, and the photo was ultimately taken without Siluanov and away from the media. He added, "I believe the press has a completely legitimate interest in reporting openly and freely on this G20 summit" and "I consider it unacceptable for journalists or entire editorial teams to be excluded."
Andrzej Domanski drew a harder line. He told that he recognized the right of the G20 hosts to invite guests but was unhappy to see Moscow represented. Domanski said, "We do not trust Russia. They lie constantly and you need to be really, really cautious while discussing with them," and added, "So for me it would be very difficult to have any kind of conversation with Russia."
Media access disputes
The press fight became part of the story as the talks opened. News said that its team was not allowed access, while The and complained that certain journalists who would typically cover such events were refused media credentials. The dispute over access ran alongside the dispute over Russia’s attendance, turning a finance meeting into a test of who gets in the room and who does not.
The immediate question now is whether the US uses the rest of its G20 presidency to keep Russia isolated economically while still keeping the channel open for direct talks. Siluanov’s appearance in Asheville showed that Moscow can still be physically present at a major economic meeting, but Bessent’s message left no room for relief before the war in Ukraine ends.
