The Russian Finance Minister, Anton Siluanov, has personally attended the meeting of finance ministers and central bank governors of the G20 held in the United States, his first physical presence in this forum since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. In the framework of this meeting, he has also held a meeting with the U.S. Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent.
So far, Siluanov's last intervention at a G20 summit dates back to April 2022, when he participated via videoconference shortly after the outbreak of the conflict. Since then, the Russian official had not returned to any of the major international meetings of the group.
The face-to-face meeting between Bessent and Siluanov has taken place on the sidelines of the meeting, which is taking place in the city of Asheville, in the state of North Carolina, within the schedule of the U.S. presidency of the G20. "Russian-American cooperation in the financial sphere and cooperation within the G20 was addressed," the Russian Ministry of Finance stated in a statement released along with a photograph of both officials.
Sources from the U.S. Department of the Treasury have indicated to CNBC that the conversation also addressed the peace plan for Ukraine promoted by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Siluanov's presence at the meeting has provoked the rejection of some participants, including the German Finance Minister, Lars Klingbeil, who has emphasized that "there is no normal situation with Russia at this moment" due to the "brutal war," according to the German newspaper 'Die Welt'.
Klingbeil has also questioned the lack of transparency from Washington regarding the invitation extended to the Russian official. Despite his criticisms, the German minister has maintained a direct exchange with Siluanov during the meeting, in which he has asked him to contribute to ending the war in Ukraine.