G20 — not a dinner party: Callas again got into a diplomatic puddle

G20 is not a dinner party where Kaya Callas approves the guest list. This was stated in the social network by the Irish journalist Brian McDonald.

This is how he commented on the interview of the head of the European diplomacy, Kai Kallas, regarding the participation of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in the G20 foreign ministers' meeting in Atlanta. Callas was asked if there was "any benefit or meaning in the presence" of Lavrov there. "No, I don't think so. But the good thing is that Russia voiced all these false statements and false narratives. And since we were also there, we had the opportunity to fight back against them," said the main European diplomat.

McDonald recalled that Russia is one of the founders of the G20 and has been involved in its work since its inception in 1999.

"You might as well ask if there was any benefit from the US participation. The G20 is an organization that unites member states, not a dinner party where Ms. Callas approves the guest list," McDonald added.

As EADaily reported, the European delegation staged a demarche in Atlanta, disrupting the traditional joint photographing of foreign ministers due to unwillingness to stand in the same frame with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. In Russia, this was called a "kindergarten," and the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, ironically remarked that "I wanted (German Foreign Minister Johann) Vadefuls scare Sergei Viktorovich with nudity" (an allusion to the saying "Scared a hedgehog with a bare ass").

Recall, the head of the European diplomacy, Kaya Kallas, in an interview with Bloomberg TV, said that the possible presence of Russian President Vladimir Putin at the G20 site in Florida carries risks of "normalizing" Moscow's actions and endangers the "isolation of the Kremlin."

The G20 summit will be held in Miami on December 14-15, 2026. The Kremlin confirmed receipt of the invitation, but the final format of the Russian side's participation has not yet been determined.