Russia’s Foreign Ministry says Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will lead its delegation to the G20 foreign ministers’ meeting in Atlanta on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 30-31, with Moscow seeking changes to global economic institutions.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said the bulk of logistical problems facing the delegation were settled at the last minute.
Zakharova said Moscow wants the talks to address conflicts and confrontational trends it views as threats to the global economy. She said Russia will seek changes to global economic institutions and more influence for countries she described as the “states of the East and South.” The delegation will use the meeting to advocate a multipolar order, she said.
The State Department has named Secretary of State Marco Rubio as host. Its agenda calls for cooperation across borders, responses to global economic strains, open commerce and supply chains better able to withstand disruption. The G20 leaders’ summit is scheduled for Dec. 14-15 at Trump National Doral in Miami.
Separately, the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued General License 135 on Oct. 9. It permits transactions tied to Russian-origin diesel, covering sales, deliveries, unloading and imports, including into the United States, until 12:01 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time on April 7, 2027. The authorization does not allow U.S. financial institutions to debit accounts belonging to Russia’s central bank, National Wealth Fund or Finance Ministry.
On the same day, President Donald Trump said Russia planned to provide more than 300,000 tons of diesel immediately, 500,000 tons in November and one million tons afterward, with another three million tons contingent on the condition of Russian refineries. Trump said lower fuel prices for Americans, especially farmers, ranchers and truckers, were a priority.
The Kremlin said an initial tanker had sailed. Reuters, citing LSEG data, reported that a Malta-flagged ship loaded 40,000 metric tons of Russian diesel at Primorsk on Oct. 22 and began a voyage toward New York. Ukrainian officials, including President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, criticized the arrangement, the Associated Press reported, saying it could benefit Russia as its war against Ukraine continues. AP, citing maritime intelligence firm Kpler, said the vessel was expected in New York on Nov. 7.
