Foreign ministers from the G20 skipped a traditional group photo ahead of their meeting in Atlanta on Friday after European representatives objected to the presence of Russia.
A US official said the State Department removed the family photo from the official agenda because Washington did not want it to become a spectacle or distraction.
A third of the participants, including Australia and Canada, made clear they opposed the idea of being photographed alongside Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, a Western diplomat said.
“In no case will there be a family photo with European partners and Mr. Lavrov together because … there is no normalcy with Russia,” German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul told reporters before the first session on Friday.
European officials had earlier suggested there might be two separate pictures – one with Lavrov and one without.