Diplomacy and shipping security
Jaishankar announced the discussion on X. It followed an October 25 phone call in which he and Kallas sought to coordinate diplomatic positions on global issues, including the Gulf conflict.
Freedom of navigation was also a U.S. priority for the wider Atlanta talks. According to the Los Angeles Times, Washington wanted to address differences concerning the Strait of Hormuz, the Red Sea, the Black Sea and the South China Sea.
Addressing the plenary, Jaishankar argued that military solutions would not resolve global challenges and urged countries to give diplomacy a chance. He said attacks on shipping imposed a disproportionate burden on the Global South.
"Global South is disproportionately bearing the consequences of attacks on civilian shipping and seafarers, jeopardising the availability and cost of fuel, food and fertilisers," he said in remarks shared on X. He called for protecting freedom of navigation and ending attacks in accordance with international law, particularly UNCLOS.
Kallas presses for Black Sea access
Kallas warned that Russia's war in Ukraine and the Middle East crisis threatened food and energy supplies, trade and navigation. Describing maritime routes as "global lifelines" in a post on X, she said energy security and resilient supply chains were essential to global economic stability.
Her proposed response included a Black Sea freedom of navigation arrangement. In her October 30, 2026, plenary remarks, published by the European External Action Service, Kallas described the Black Sea as a choke point and said global grain prices had reached their highest level since 2023.
She said 51 countries at the UN General Assembly had jointly condemned Russia and called for passage through the Black Sea. Ukraine had accepted the proposed navigation arrangement, she said, but Russia had rejected it.
Kallas also restated the EU's opposition to charging tolls or fees on international shipping routes. More than 60 countries had signed the EU's "No Fees, No Tolls" pledge to uphold the integrity of the International Law of the Sea, she said, urging additional countries to sign.
Divisions at the wider G20 talks
The Atlanta meeting, chaired by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, produced no sign of agreement on its most divisive issues, the Los Angeles Times reported. Disputes encompassed the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran, U.S. tariffs and China's actions in the South China Sea.
Rubio canceled the customary group photograph after several European officials threatened to boycott it or walk out rather than appear alongside Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, the newspaper reported.
The invitation list also excluded Ukraine, a nonmember that had attended previous such meetings, and South Africa, a founding G20 member and the group's only African country.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the foreign ministers' meeting was intended to prepare for a G20 leaders' summit that President Trump is to host at his Miami golf club in December 2026.
