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Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Atlanta, Georgia, on Friday ahead of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's visit to Türkiye on Saturday for talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The two officials discussed bilateral relations, ongoing negotiations between Washington and Tehran, the situation in the Gaza Strip and the war between Russia and Ukraine, according to Turkish Foreign Ministry sources.
The meeting took place on the sidelines of a two-day G20 foreign ministers' gathering hosted by Rubio, bringing together senior diplomats from the world's leading economies to address geopolitical tensions and pressing economic challenges.
Fidan's talks with Rubio came shortly after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and U.S. President Donald Trump discussed bilateral ties and regional and global developments during a phone call.
During the conversation, Erdogan stressed Türkiye's readiness to contribute to efforts to revive diplomatic negotiations between Russia and Ukraine and end the war through dialogue.
Hours later, Türkiye's Communications Director Burhanettin Duran announced that Zelenskyy would meet Erdogan in Istanbul on Saturday to discuss the Russia-Ukraine war and security in the Black Sea.
On the sidelines of the two-day gathering, Fidan also met with Indonesian Foreign Minister Arrmanatha Nasir and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi.
During his meeting with Motegi, Fidan emphasized the need to deepen economic ties between Türkiye and Japan, boost mutual investment and expand cooperation into new areas.
The two ministers also discussed opportunities for Turkish and Japanese companies to work together in third countries, as well as planned high-level visits and developments in the Asia-Pacific and Middle East.
Fidan later met with German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul to review the outcomes of a recent meeting in Istanbul attended by the foreign ministers of Britain, France, Egypt, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.
The Atlanta meeting marks the final ministerial-level gathering under the U.S. G20 presidency before world leaders convene for a summit in Miami, Florida, on Dec. 14-15. Discussions focus on economic growth, energy and food security, freedom of navigation, and strengthening global supply chains.
Opening the meeting, Rubio urged participating countries to coordinate their responses to interconnected economic and geopolitical crises, warning that threats to energy and food supplies, international trade and maritime routes could undermine the global economic order.
He described the current period as a "moment of choosing" and called on G20 members to strengthen economic resilience, safeguard markets and turn shared interests into practical cooperation.
The meeting began without the traditional group photograph after several European officials objected to appearing alongside Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul told reporters that European representatives would not participate in a joint photograph with Lavrov, stressing that relations with Moscow could not be treated as normal.
"There is no normality with Russia," Wadephul said. Lavrov, who is leading the Russian delegation, is expected to call for greater economic cooperation and equal dialogue among G20 members.
Established in 1999 following the Asian financial crisis, the G20 brings together major advanced and emerging economies to coordinate global economic policies and address international challenges. Its membership comprises 19 countries, the European Union and the African Union, which joined in 2023.
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