A source familiar with the ministers' meeting told Reuters that US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent made clear to Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov that no economic relief for Russia or agreements on other issues were possible until its war in Ukraine ends. ^[1] U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov met on the sidelines of the Group of 20 finance leaders' gathering in Asheville, North Carolina, on August 31, 2026. ^[2] Russia's Finance Minister Anton Siluanov and representatives of the Russian Central Bank attended the two-day G20 Finance Ministers Meeting that opened in Asheville, North Carolina, United States. ^[3] Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said on 2026-09-02, according to an Interfax report, that dialogue between Russia and the US should continue to find common ground on economics, which should make it easier to discuss political issues. ^[4] European governments have planned to expand sanctions to further squeeze Russia's economy and finances. ^[5] The August 31, 2026 meeting in Asheville, North Carolina, marked Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov's first in-person appearance at the G20 finance summit since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. ^[6] Germany's Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil told journalists that Europe is preparing a new sanctions package against Russia and hoped for close cooperation with Washington, adding that he found the message given by hosting the Russian Finance Minister 'quite worrying'. ^[7] Klingbeil said that after four G20 meetings without Russia, the Russian Finance Minister's return signals an effort at normalization, making it more important for Europeans to show their reaction, and stressed that the United States should take a clearer stance that the Russian minister should not be hosted as a normal guest. ^[8] Klingbeil said that European officials, including UK Finance Minister John Healey and European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde, discussed Russia's participation on Sunday evening and agreed to keep the dialogue channel open to convey a clear message. ^[9]