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South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has refused to hand over the G20 presidency to a low-level U.S. embassy representative following President Donald Trump’s decision to boycott the summit in Johannesburg.
Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola stated that the U.S. is welcome to send a head of state, minister, or special presidential envoy for the official handover.
Still, the South African government will not accept the U.S. embassy’s charge d’affaires.
The U.S. is slated to assume the G20 presidency in 2026.
Trump’s absence is part of a broader pattern of withdrawing from multilateral events, which has been exacerbated by ongoing friction with Pretoria.
Before the meeting, the U.S. embassy indicated that its priorities clashed with the summit’s goals and objected to the planned joint declaration.
Despite the U.S. objections, the remaining G20 leaders adopted a declaration calling for peace in various global conflict zones and supply safeguards on critical minerals.
South Africa emphasised that the actions of one country cannot stall global cooperation.
