G20 Atlanta talks set to close without joint communique

G20 Atlanta talks are expected to finish on October 31 without a joint communique, diplomats attending the meeting said. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is instead due to issue a chairman's statement summarising the two days of discussions.

Differences over Russia's war in Ukraine have been a major obstacle, alongside other disputes over security and trade. Participants said a chairman's statement had been anticipated because positions among the delegations were so far apart.

Rubio opened the meeting by appealing for unity. Diplomats described the first session as cordial and said participants had agreed to keep trying to bridge their differences despite the difficulties.

Ukraine and regional conflicts divide participants

The G20 Atlanta talks also cover the US-Israeli war against Iran, American tariffs and Chinese actions in the South China Sea. A US priority is freedom of navigation, including in the Strait of Hormuz, Red Sea and Black Sea.

Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said the lack of agreement was unsurprising with parties to ongoing wars seated together. Poland was attending as a guest for the first time, while diplomats said Russia remained opposed to its membership.

The dispute was visible before substantive talks concluded: Rubio cancelled the customary group photograph on October 30. European officials had objected to appearing with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and threatened to boycott or leave the session.

Another point of disagreement was Washington's decision to exclude South Africa, a G20 member. Other participants had objected to that decision, according to the diplomats.

On the sidelines, Rubio met Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan amid concern over Iran. Separately, the US State Department announced approval of a proposed $2.1 billion sale of Patriot air-defence interceptors for Ukraine.

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