G20 foreign ministers meet in Atlanta to discuss the wars in Iran and Ukraine, energy security, and global trade

G20 foreign ministers are meeting Friday in Atlanta for two days of talks on the war in Iran, efforts to end the conflict in Ukraine and the impact of the crises on the global economy. The meeting is chaired by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and is being held under the US presidency of the group, ahead of the leaders’ summit in December.

Items on the meeting’s agenda include energy and food security, supply chains and freedom of navigation, particularly in the Strait of Hormuz, which has been affected by the conflict with Iran. The United States will also address the situation in the Black Sea and tensions in the South China Sea.

Twenty-one delegations are attending in Atlanta, including representatives of the European Union and the African Union. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has arrived in the United States, and his presence is raising concerns among some European governments. Ukraine, which is not a G20 member, was not invited.

The talks are taking place after the Trump administration intensified its diplomatic efforts over the war in Ukraine. Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping are considering the possibility of a three-way meeting at the APEC summit in November. Putin was also invited to the G20 summit in December.