No group photo with Lavrov at the G20 in Atlanta, but a green light for 500 Patriots for Ukraine

G20 foreign ministers met in Atlanta on Friday, chaired by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, La Libre writes, citing AFP. At Washington's invitation, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also took a seat at the table. The traditional group photo did not take place: according to HLN, several European delegations threatened to boycott it, after which the US cancelled it. De Morgen reports the same. A US official told La Libre that Washington preferred to cancel rather than risk a diplomatic distraction in front of the world's press.

Kaja Kallas, the EU's foreign policy chief, told AFP that Lavrov had shown no sign of flexibility and, in her view, spread many falsehoods, La Libre reports. She pointed out that July, August and September were the deadliest months for Ukrainian civilians, and called for sustained pressure on Moscow, including for a ceasefire in the Black Sea. Lavrov himself described a brief and pleasant conversation with Rubio, HLN reports; the US side did not confirm the exchange. The meeting runs until Saturday and prepares the G20 summit that Trump will host at his golf resort in Florida in mid-December.

On the same day, the US State Department approved the sale of 500 Patriot interceptor missiles to Ukraine, worth more than 2 billion dollars, La Libre reports. Congress still has to sign off on the deal. Ukraine will pay with contributions from Canada, Germany and Norway and with money from the European support loan; no US funds are involved, according to Washington. De Morgen also reports on the sale. At the same time, the Pentagon asked Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in confidential talks to tone down their rhetoric towards Russia, Business AM writes, citing Reuters; the Pentagon declined to confirm this.

On Saturday, President Volodymyr Zelensky travels to Istanbul for talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the war and security in the Black Sea, the Turkish presidency announced, La Libre reports. Turkey earlier tabled a proposal to halt attacks on merchant ships. Peace talks have been stalled since the start of the year; a meeting between Russians, Ukrainians and Americans could follow in November in the United Arab Emirates, but Washington has not yet confirmed it.