Rubio hosts Quad ministers as G20 ends without communique

Secretary of State Marco Rubio hosted the foreign ministers of Australia, India and Japan for a Quad meeting in Atlanta on Saturday, Oct. 31. It was the group's third ministerial session this year, and planning is underway for a leaders' summit in Manila next month, Reuters reported via Al-Monitor. After the talks, Rubio chaired the closing session of a two-day G20 foreign ministers' meeting. Divisions over Russia's war in Ukraine and the conflict with Iran had overshadowed the gathering.al-monitor.com

Quad talks and a leaders' summit

The State Department's public schedule set the Quad meeting for 9 a.m., followed by a G20 session on supply chains. India's S. Jaishankar, Japan's Toshimitsu Motegi and Australia's Penny Wong joined Rubio. The ministers reviewed their work on supply chains, critical minerals, maritime cooperation and new technologies, IANS reported. Rubio later said the four countries were "delivering results for our people and the nations in the region." According to Japan's foreign ministry, Motegi called the meeting "a meaningful opportunity to demonstrate the outcomes of practical cooperation." Earlier meetings this year took place in New Delhi and Manila, US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor told reporters.state.gov+1

The leaders' summit is expected during the ASEAN conference in Manila on Nov. 15–18. It would be the first Quad leaders' meeting since 2024 and President Donald Trump's first. Trump had been scheduled to attend a summit in India in late 2025 but canceled because of trade and tariff disputes with New Delhi, according to Reuters.al-monitor.com

G20 ends without a communique

Diplomats said the G20 ministers would not issue a joint communique. Rubio was instead expected to release a chairman's statement summarizing the talks, the Associated Press reported. On Friday, Rubio canceled the traditional group photo after European diplomats objected to appearing alongside Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski told reporters, "We have wars going on, and we have participants in those wars around the table, so it's very difficult to agree on a common line."apnews.com

Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand told Reuters she confronted Lavrov directly over Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Lavrov said Moscow's position was unchanged, Reuters reported. In closing remarks, Rubio said the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait "must remain secure and open to commerce," IANS reported.ianslive.in+1

Road to Miami

Rubio said he hoped the meeting would lay the groundwork for the G20 leaders' summit on Dec. 14–15 at Trump's Doral resort near Miami. At a Friday reception, he told ministers that "while our interests may not always align, we should always seek to work together to advance them when and where they do align," Reuters reported.al-monitor.com