Rubio says the United States has to be able to talk to Russia and that inviting it to forums like the G20 is one way to do that
Marco RubioU.S. Secretary of State, at a press availability after the G20 foreign ministers' meeting in Atlanta
Marco Rubio answers a question about Sergey Lavrov's participation at his press availability after the G20 foreign ministers' meeting in Atlanta, October 31, 2026.
Excerpt from 22:55 to 25:38 of the U.S. Department of State video. DI added its logo in the corner.
Video: U.S. Department of State. Public domain (U.S. government work) (opens in a new tab)
Watch the full original video (opens in a new tab) (relevant passage: 22:55 to 25:37, question on Sergey Lavrov's participation and Rubio's answer)
Asked why Lavrov was at the Atlanta meeting, Rubio says the United States has to be able to talk to both Russia and Ukraine to mediate an end to the war, and that inviting Russia to forums like the G20 lets it hear from other countries as well.
Responding to
Russia needs to take part in G20 talks because a negotiated end to the war in Ukraine requires the United States to talk to both Russia and Ukraine, and meeting with Russian officials does not legitimize them.
“But we have to be able to talk to the Russian side. And one of the ways to do that is to invite them to forums like this, where they're not just hearing from us, but potentially hearing from other countries that are there as well.”
Original video
Original text
Where this statement fits
U.S. scraps G20 group photo after European ministers object to posing with Lavrov; Rubio defends inviting Russia
The United States canceled the group photo at the G20 foreign ministers' meeting in Atlanta after several European ministers objected to posing with Russia's Sergey Lavrov. Rubio said the United States has to talk to Russia to help end the war in Ukraine.
Source and context
Original video
About this source
Official State Department video of Rubio's closing press availability after the G20 foreign ministers' meeting in Atlanta on October 31, 2026. In this passage a reporter asks why Lavrov was invited and whether Putin may attend the Miami summit, and Rubio answers that the United States must be able to talk to Russia to mediate an end to the war in Ukraine.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Watch the clip from this source at the top of the page.
Original text
About this source
State Department transcript of Rubio's closing press availability after the G20 foreign ministers' meeting in Atlanta on October 31, 2026. A reporter asks why it is important to have Lavrov at the meeting and possibly Putin at the Miami summit, citing Kaja Kallas and other critics; Rubio answers that talking to Russia is needed to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine and does not legitimize it.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
A reporter asked why it was important to have Lavrov at the meeting and possibly Putin at the Miami summit in December, noting that some of Rubio's counterparts had criticized Lavrov's inclusion. Rubio said the president thought Russia should be part of the G20 conversation, that ending the war in Ukraine peacefully requires a negotiated settlement and talking to both sides, and that the president does not view meeting with someone as legitimizing everything they do.
After the quotation
Rubio then took the next question. Asked about his interaction with Lavrov, he said the two did not have a meeting but spoke briefly about a possible meeting of their leaders at APEC and about the G20.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The reference point is the United States' decision to bring Russia, represented by Lavrov, into the G20 foreign ministers' talks in Atlanta. Rubio, the host, defends that decision, saying the United States has to be able to talk to Russia to help end the war in Ukraine and that inviting Russia to such forums is one way to do so.
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- People and groups discussed
- Sergey Lavrov
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- Rubio says the United States has to be able to talk to Russia and that inviting it to forums like the G20 is one way to do that
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The Dispute Index. "Rubio says the United States has to be able to talk to Russia and that inviting it to forums like the G20 is one way to do that". First published: 2026-11-03. Last updated: 2026-11-03. https://disputeindex.com/events/7907-asked-why-lavrov-was-at-the-atlanta-meeting