Foreign ministers from G20 countries will meet in Johannesburg on Thursday, but U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will not attend amid diplomatic tensions between South Africa and the U.S. Diplomats including Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will skip a meeting of foreign ministers from the leading rich and developing nations, known as the Group of 20, that starts on Thursday

South Africa's G20 presidency was meant to be an opportunity to get rich, powerful nations to pay attention to poorer countries' concerns such as burgeoning inequality, crippling sovereign debt and a lack of progress in the fight against climate change.

Foreign ministers and senior diplomats from leading rich and developing countries focused on global conflicts, including the Russia-Ukraine war, on the last day of their meeting in South Africa.

U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy said he saw no appetite for peace from Russia in Ukraine after listening to a speech by Russia's top diplomat at a tense Group of 20 meeting in South Africa on Thursday.