US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent met with Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov on August 31. The meeting was held on the sidelines of the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors meeting that opened the same day in Asheville, North Carolina, according to a statement from the Russian Finance Ministry. US media reported that this was the first time a Russian finance minister attended the G20 finance meeting in person since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. European officials objected, demanding that the US, as the host, exclude the Russian minister from the group photo at the meeting. Germany's Vice Chancellor and Finance Minister Robert Habeck indicated he would refuse to stand in a group photo with Siluanov.
