The finance ministers and central bankers from nations in the Group of 20 began a summit in North Carolina this week, ostensibly to focus on international challenges such as the war in Iran and inflation. There was no reason to assume the gathering would create new tensions between the United States and its traditional allies in Europe — but it did, and it’s worth understanding why.
The problem emerged on Monday morning, when attendees discovered they had been joined by Anton Siluanov, Russia’s finance minister, who was making his first in-person appearance at a G20 event since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. The New York Times reported:
Russia’s finance minister made a surprise appearance at a gathering of top global economic policymakers on Monday after a prolonged absence, an invitation that was extended by the Trump administration but drew rebukes and protests from European officials committed to isolating Moscow for its war against Ukraine.
The White House evidently neglected to let other participants know in advance about the invitation to Siluanov, who was also rewarded with a one-on-one meeting with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
“Receiving the Russian finance minister here sends a signal I find troubling,” Lars Klingbeil, the German vice chancellor and finance minister, told reporters. “I would have preferred clear positioning from the U.S. side that he not be received like a regular guest.”
Klingbeil added, “You cannot simply return to normality.”
To complicate matters, Team Trump didn’t merely extend a surprise invitation to Russia’s finance minister, as the Times also reported; the Republican administration also withheld invitations to South Africa, a longtime member of the G20 and Africa’s largest economy, as well as to journalists from prominent American news organizations.
But stepping back, the question that desperately needs an answer is why Donald Trump and his team appear so eager to reward Vladimir Putin’s Russia in the first place.
Just last week, for example, the Republican president decided to give Moscow a pass on its assistance to Iran, despite the apparent red line that Trump had drawn a week earlier. This came a few months after the White House also gave Russia a break on oil sanctions.
It is all part of a pattern that has included instances in which Trump and his team have:
- Shrugged off compelling evidence that Russia has helped Iran target American assets in the Middle East.
- Looked the other way after Russia attacked American-owned business interests in Ukraine.
- Allowed Russia to bypass a U.S. oil blockade intended to smother the Cuban government.
- Vouched for Putin’s trustworthiness.
- Echoed Kremlin talking points.
- Bragged about curtailing U.S. aid to Ukraine, which is still trying to defend itself in response to Russia’s invasion.
It’s worth emphasizing that all of these developments have unfolded this year, and this list doesn’t include the many steps Trump and his team took to benefit Russia in 2025, including a humiliating attempt at direct diplomacy with Putin during a failed summit in Alaska, in which the American president had to slink away empty-handed.
The next time Trump brags about how “tough” he is with Putin, be sure to keep this pattern in mind.
This post updates our related earlier coverage.
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