With the United States’ top diplomat boycotting, foreign ministers from some of the world’s largest economies rallied together at a Group of 20 meeting in Johannesburg on Thursday and sought to push back against what they saw as President Trump’s attempt to upend the global order.
During the meeting, some of the United States’ once closest allies worked to hold the line against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine and firm up commitments to fight climate change, issues for which the Trump administration has recently reversed America’s course.
Mr. Trump has expressed support for President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia’s war effort, and this week called the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, a dictator.
“When I heard this, I was like, ‘Oh, he must be mixing the two,’” said Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s top diplomat. “Putin is the dictator.”
Sergey V. Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, was in attendance at the meeting and pressed his country’s case against Kyiv, according to Ms. Kallas and other diplomats. Ms. Kallas castigated Mr. Lavrov and Russia, accusing the country of “brutally attacking” Ukraine and saying that Moscow did not want peace.
Although the Trump administration appears to be drifting toward Moscow, European countries needed to remain united in their opposition to Russia, she said, and act as a counterweight to Washington’s unpredictable policy decisions.
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