Russian officials will attend a major gathering of the world’s most powerful finance ministers in Edinburgh next year, potentially setting up a diplomatic clash over Moscow’s continuing war in Ukraine.
The Scottish capital will host the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors meeting on 8 and 9 July 2027 as part of the UK’s year-long presidency of the organisation.
The meeting will bring finance ministers, central bank governors and senior economic officials from the world’s biggest economies to Edinburgh.
Russia remains a member of the G20 and is therefore expected to be represented when the group meets in Scotland, although the UK Government has not yet announced which individual Russian officials will attend.
Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov has returned to G20 meetings in person this year after largely being excluded from face-to-face gatherings following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
His participation has already caused significant tension between the United States and European governments.
Siluanov attended a G20 finance ministers meeting in Asheville, North Carolina, in August after being invited by the US, marking his first in-person appearance at the forum since the invasion.
Several European officials objected to his presence and Russia was excluded from the traditional group photograph after finance ministers refused to pose alongside the Russian delegation.
The divisions have continued this month. Germany’s finance minister Lars Klingbeil warned that there could be no return to normal relations with Moscow while Russia’s war against Ukraine continued, after Siluanov again participated in international economic meetings in Bangkok.
Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey was among senior European officials who walked out of a meeting of the International Monetary Fund’s steering committee on Friday when Siluanov began speaking.
Representatives from France, Germany and several Nordic and Baltic countries also took part in the protest, with almost half of those in the room leaving.
That leaves the UK facing a potentially difficult diplomatic decision when it hosts the Edinburgh meeting next summer.
The UK Government continues to impose sanctions on Russia and has called for further action against Moscow’s so-called shadow fleet of vessels used to transport Russian oil and evade restrictions.
Chancellor John Healey called for tighter international sanctions against Russian-linked shipping during meetings in Bangkok this month, arguing that further pressure was needed on networks helping to fund Vladimir Putin’s war.
At the same time, Britain will be responsible for hosting a G20 organisation in which Russia remains a full member.
The UK Government confirmed this week that Edinburgh will stage the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors meeting at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre on 8 and 9 July.
The government said the Finance Track of the UK presidency would examine economic resilience, growth, developing economies and the impact of artificial intelligence on jobs and productivity.
Further details of priorities for the meeting are expected to be announced in early 2027.
The Edinburgh gathering will be one of the largest international political and economic meetings held in Scotland in recent years.
The G20 brings together 19 of the world’s largest economies alongside the European Union and African Union. Together, its members account for around 85 per cent of global GDP, 75 per cent of international trade and two-thirds of the world’s population.
The UK will hold a series of G20 events across the country during 2027 before world leaders gather for the main summit in Manchester on 27 and 28 November.