U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and other finance ministers and central bank governors walked out of a Group of 20 meeting on Wednesday when Russian officials began addressing the gathering, according to people familiar with the events.

Canadian Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland posted a picture of those who participated in the walkout on her Twitter account, showing Ukrainian Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko, European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey, EU Economy Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni and Dutch Finance Minister Sigrid Kaag among those who took part.

The White House supports Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen's decision not to participate in a recent G20 meeting once Russian officials began speaking, spokesperson Jen Psaki said on Wednesday.

"The President and Secretary Yellen have both said that we can't have business as usual at the G20 or in a lot of these international forums as it relates to Russia, and she and the Treasury team made clear that she was planning to participate in some and not other meetings, which certainly is something that we support," Psaki said, according to Sputnik.

Yellen, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and other officials boycotted the meeting due to the participation of Russian officials, according to a Washington Post report earlier on Wednesday.

The Treasury Secretary will work to advance important business at the G20 while also voicing strong condemnation of Russia's actions in Ukraine, the report said, citing an anonymous Biden administration official.

Yellen said earlier this month she had informed this year's G20 host, Indonesia, that she wouldn't participate in sessions that included Russia. The G20 finance ministers are gathered in Washington this week to coincide with the annual meetings of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund.

Image courtesy: ANI