Russia and US Hold High-Level Financial Talks at G20 Summit in Asheville

Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov arrived in the United States for a meeting of G20 finance ministers in Asheville, North Carolina, where he met with his American counterpart, Scott Bessent.

Photo: flickr.com by U.S. Department of State from United States, https://creativecommons.org/public-domain/pdm/

Flags of Russia and the United States

Fox Business correspondent Edward Lawrence reported that the two discussed U.S. President Donald Trump's 28-point peace plan for Ukraine. He also published a joint photograph of Siluanov and Bessent. The meeting marked their first face-to-face encounter.

A representative of the U.S. Treasury Department added that Bessent plans to hold "at least 11" bilateral meetings this week. China, Canada, South Korea and Japan are among the countries whose representatives the U.S. Treasury secretary is scheduled to meet.

"The issues of Russian-American cooperation on the financial track and issues of cooperation within the G20 were discussed," the Russian Ministry of Finance reported.

PAP correspondent Oskar Górzyński also published a photograph of Siluanov at the summit, noting that U.S. officials had declined to confirm the Russian minister's participation the previous evening, saying only that "Russia had been invited.”

Russian Finance Ministry Confirms G20 Trip Without Mentioning Siluanov

Earlier on Monday, the Russian Finance Ministry confirmed the participation of Russian representatives at the summit in Asheville, stating that "the next meeting of finance ministers and central bank governors will take place on August 31 and September 1.”

The ministry said that deputy finance ministers and central bank governors from G20 countries, or the Group of Twenty, had met in North Carolina during the previous two days. Ivan Chebeskov, Siluanov's deputy, represented the Russian delegation at the event.

In his speech, he addressed the analysis of global imbalances and the role of international financial institutions in conducting objective and transparent monitoring. He also called for avoiding the politicization of global imbalances and their use as instruments of pressure. In addition, Chebeskov shared Russia's experience in combating financial fraud.

Putin Says Russia Is Moving Toward an End to the Special Military Operation

On the same day, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the country is moving toward the conclusion of the special military operation.

During a meeting with Putin, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi raised the issue of Ukraine. He said that the conflict must be resolved through peaceful means and called for "moving in that direction.”

"Thank you very much, dear Prime Minister. That is precisely the path we are following,” Putin replied.

Russian Lawmaker Names Possible Topics for US-Russia Financial Talks

According to Artem Kiryanov, deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on Economic Policy, issues of global financial stability cannot be resolved without Russia's participation. He said that a meeting involving the U.S. Treasury secretary and the Russian delegation could cover a broad range of issues, including sanctions.

The lawmaker noted that, in addition to Trump's plan for resolving the conflict in Ukraine, the Russian delegation could discuss a number of important financial issues with Bessent. These could include cryptocurrencies, new and emerging technological developments, and their impact on the banking sector, Kiryanov suggested.