Russian Finance Minister Gets Cold Shoulder at G20 Summit

I have to register mild disagreement with brother Jim in his Jolt this morning on the decision to invite the Russians to the G20 summit in Asheville, N.C. Jim writes: “Those of us who want to see Russia’s influence on the world stage decline are left asking: What’s the upside here? How does rolling out the red carpet for representatives from Moscow who are still on a U.S. sanctions list amount to prioritizing American interests?”

I certainly count myself as among those who want to see Russia’s influence on the world stage decline, and I’ve been critical in the past about noises President Trump and others around the White House made about welcoming Russia back into the G8/G20 fold. But if reports out of the meeting are true, then Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov flew 6,000 miles from Moscow to Asheville to get the equivalent of a diplomatic cold shoulder.

About the Author

Daniel Foster

Daniel Foster is a contributing editor at National Review.

Featured Tags

Manage following

Russia

Trump Administration

I have to register mild disagreement with brother Jim in his Jolt this morning on the decision to invite the Russians to the G20 summit in Asheville, N.C. Jim writes: “Those of us who want to see Russia’s influence on the world stage decline are left asking: What’s the upside here? How does rolling out the red carpet for representatives from Moscow who are still on a U.S. sanctions list amount to prioritizing American interests?”

I certainly count myself as among those who want to see Russia’s influence on the world stage decline, and I’ve been critical in the past about noises President Trump and others around the White House made about welcoming Russia back into the G8/G20 fold. But if reports out of the meeting are true, then Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov flew 6,000 miles from Moscow to Asheville to get the equivalent of a diplomatic cold shoulder.