G20 finance officials walk out in protest of Russian attendance

Senior finance officials walked out of a G20 meeting in Washington, DC, in protest as Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov spoke.

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen led a multination boycott. She was joined by Ukrainian, British, French and Canadian delegates. As many attendees attended virtually, they turned their cameras off instead. 

Finance ministers and central bank governors from the world's richest nations were meeting to discuss global challenges, such as rising debt and a looming food crisis. 

The meeting came on the sidelines of a semiannual conference held by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank.

Ahead of the walkout, Yellen reportedly told attendees that she disapproved of the presence of Russia's deputy finance minister, Timur Maksimov, who attended in person. Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov and Russia's central bank governor joined virtually.