U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will convene Quad foreign ministers Saturday in Atlanta as Group of 20 talks continue after Friday’s session exposed divisions over wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, Reuters reported.
Foreign ministers from Australia, India and Japan are expected to join Rubio, bringing the Quad to its third ministerial-level meeting of the year, Reuters reported. He is set to return to G20 sessions after the Quad meeting to conclude the two-day gathering.
The four countries are also preparing a leaders’ summit in Manila next month during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit. The Quad has not announced a date for the leaders’ meeting, according to EconoTimes’ earlier report on the Manila summit plan.
Reuters reported that the leaders last met in 2024, making the planned Manila gathering the first summit Trump would attend as president. Trump canceled his planned 2025 visit to India amid trade frictions and tariff disputes with New Delhi, and the Quad summit did not take place, Reuters reported.
Protocol at the G20 meeting also reflected the split. Reuters reported that organizers removed the customary family portrait after some European members declined to stand alongside Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
At a Friday reception, Rubio urged G20 members to work together where their interests align, Reuters reported. He said the foreign ministers’ talks could help prepare for the G20 leaders’ summit at Trump’s Doral golf resort on Dec. 14-15. Reuters reported that Rubio plans to hold a news conference after Saturday’s meetings end.
