Why the photo was pulled

The g20 family photo cancelled by US secretary of state Marco Rubio was the traditional opening shot at the G20 foreign ministers meeting, scrapped once it became clear several governments would stay away if Russian delegates took part. EU nations told organisers they would boycott any photograph involving the Russians, and roughly one-third of the countries at the talks said they would not stand next to any Russian representatives.

• •Australia and the UK were among the governments that signalled a boycott of the photo, or a walkout from it
• •The refusal was aimed squarely at Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov

Rubio still appeals for unity

Despite the schism, Rubio opened the Atlanta talks with an appeal for unity on threats to international security and trade.

He told colleagues the world was "facing a series of interconnected economic and geopolitical crises".

Australia and the UK explain their stance

Penny Wong condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine as brutal and unjustified during the opening session, in front of Lavrov, saying its illegal war had affected international markets and worsened global food security.

Germany's foreign affairs minister Johann Wadephul warned before Friday's session: "In no case will there be a family photo with European partners and Mr Lavrov together because … there is no normality with Russia."

UK foreign secretary Ed Miliband was equally direct: "We do not engage in that way with the Russians and have not for a number of years."

• •A spokesperson for Wong said Australia backed Washington's move to scrap the group picture
• •On Ukraine, the spokesperson said Canberra would not treat what Russia is doing there as acceptable, and stressed that the delegation's attention at the G20 stays fixed on the meeting's substantive agenda and the state of the world economy

What it means for the summit

The rupture reflects the Trump administration's attempt to reintegrate Russia and its isolated president, Vladimir Putin, into the international community despite the war against Ukraine. Those briefed on the session called the atmosphere cordial, but noted that Moscow shows no give on Ukraine - or on Poland's bid to join the G20.

Polish deputy prime minister and foreign minister Radosław Sikorski, whose country was attending a G20 meeting as a guest for the first time, summed up the difficulty: "We have wars going on and we have participants in those wars around the table, so it's very difficult to agree a common line."

With the disputes unresolved, participants expect the foreign ministers to finish on Saturday without a joint communique. Still, those present agreed to try to overcome their differences and work to make next month's G20 leaders' summit hosted by the president, Donald Trump, in Florida a success.