On his first trip abroad as U.S. secretary of state, Rex Tillerson was forced to stay at a sanitarium in a German village known for its hot springs, 30 minutes from where other world leaders gathered. Diplomatic security agents mingled in the parking lot with elderly people in wheelchairs arriving for spa treatments.

Tillerson, the former head of Exxon Mobil Corp., was at the sanitarium because Bonn’s hotels were all booked by the time he confirmed his attendance at this week’s Group of 20 meeting. Counterparts including U.K. Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson had to make a trek out to meet him.

The unusual diplomatic debut continued during an awkward encounter with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. After Lavrov delivered some perfunctory opening remarks alongside Tillerson, U.S. aides quickly ushered reporters from the room. “Why did they shush them out?” Lavrov asked.

And:

The curious start to his first foreign trip may demonstrate little more than the adjustment Tillerson is making after years of traveling with a small entourage as chief executive officer of Exxon to being a highly sought-after Cabinet member in President Donald Trump’s administration. Two weeks after winning confirmation, Tillerson has yet to lay out his most urgent foreign policy priorities and hasn’t had a news conference.

The lack of outreach to the media extends to the State Department briefing room in Washington, where a spokesman’s normally daily question-and-answer exchanges with reporters have yet to resume since Trump took office almost four weeks ago. Tillerson also continues to lack a deputy secretary, who could help manage day-to-day issues at the department.

The few remarks Tillerson has made reflect the changed circumstances of his new job. In his meeting Thursday with Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir, the two bantered about Tillerson’s flight from the U.S., which arrived late Wednesday night.

"I’m not used to traveling like that you know,” Tillerson said. “I’m used to getting on at night, spending the night on the plane and then going to work. It’s quite civilized."

David Fuller's view

What a childishly petty snub by the EU, most likely from an unelected bureaucrat who will hide behind his anonymity in connection with this incident.