Group’s first summit on the continent, which opens on Saturday, comes at a febrile time in global politics
The dispute between South Africa and the US over the Trump administration’s decision to boycott the G20 in Johannesburg has continued, with South Africa objecting to a US plan for a junior embassy official to take part in the closing ceremony meant to mark the handover to the next summit, which will take place in Florida.
The two-day summit, which opens on Saturday, comes at a febrile moment in global politics. The US has proposed a deal to end Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which it agreed with Moscow without the involvement of Ukraine or the EU.
Washington has also been accusing South Africa for months of racial discrimination against minority white Afrikaners, who ruled the country during apartheid, which South Africa has vehemently rejected.
The country’s president, Cyril Ramaphosa, told a press conference on Thursday that the US had had a change of mind about participating in the G20 and that the two sides were discussing what form US involvement could take. He had said earlier in the day that countries should not be bullied and that their sovereignty should be respected.
