Ed Miliband says Russia 'will not win this war' at G20 meeting as Kremlin hits out at 'family photo diplomacy'

Ed Miliband said he told the Russian Foreign Minister that his country would not prevail in its invasion of Ukraine at the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting. The traditional photocall of all attendees was scrapped after around a third of attendees, including the Foreign Secretary, refused to be pictured with Mr Lavrov. Sergei Lavrov, the Kremlin's representative at the multinational gathering, said the scrapped call was just "family photo diplomacy". He also said Volodymyr Zelensky's comments on maintaining strikes on Russian targets were not helpful for potential future peace talks. The 2026 G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting, a gathering of 19 countries, with representatives from the European Union and African Union, began in Atlanta, Georgia, on Friday. The Foreign Secretary - who has previously insisted he was "tough enough" - said "we all know who the aggressor in this war is" in a direct message to the Russian Foreign Minister. He said: "We all know you started this war four and a half years ago with the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. "And Putin thought then he would win this war easily. But you are not winning this war." German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said a family photo was impossible because there was "no normalcy with Russia". Mr Lavrov, in response, said: "I call this 'family photo diplomacy.' "If what matters most to them is how they look in a family photo, and who's standing next to them, well, that says it all." US officials told Reuters the photocall was cancelled because they wanted to avoid a "spectacle" that could overshadow the meeting. LATEST ON RUSSIA: Mr Miliband told Russia in the plenary: "If you had the courage to tell the truth and to do what is right you would tell Putin that he is not winning this war and will not win." The Foreign Secretary insisted that members of the multinational body must "work harder to secure just and lasting peace in Ukraine", pointing at fuel prices and food insecurity as the global ramifications of Russia's invasion. He continued: "An assault not only on Ukraine but on us all, trampling international law, sovereignty and self determination – core principles on which we all depend. "This war is not simply a test for Europe or for Nato - it requires all of us to apply economic and diplomatic pressure to deprive Putin of the revenues that perpetuate this barbaric war." The Foreign Ministers' Meeting is intended to set the stage for the G20 Leaders' Summit, to be held at Donald Trump's Miami resort, the Trump National Doral Miami. In addition to the 21 members, leaders from 13 foreign countries have been invited to attend the Florida meeting, planned for December 14 and 15. Marco Rubio, leading the plenary, said Poland was invited as a "full participant" and urged representatives to set a "solid foundation of aligned commitment" for the Leaders' Summit. But the Russian Foreign Minister said Poland's inclusion "violates the principle of diplomacy". Meanwhile, South Africa, a G20 member, has been banned from attending the Leaders' Summit over farm attacks on white Afrikaners, which Mr Trump has previously labelled a "genocide". Follow related topics: