Russia has stepped up its support for South Africa in its escalating diplomatic confrontation with the United States, calling Pretoria’s exclusion from the 2026 G20 summit an “egregious violation” and demanding that the country be restored to the negotiating table.
The Russian Embassy in South Africa said Ambassador-at-Large Marat Berdyev had stressed that the G20 is a “collegial format” that cannot be unilaterally controlled by one member.
“Russia is working with partners to ensure Pretoria takes its rightful place at the negotiating table ASAP,” the embassy said in a post on X on August 30.
The intervention comes roughly nine months after US President Donald Trump announced that South Africa would not be invited to the 2026 G20 summit, scheduled to take place in Miami in December.
From G20 boycott to diplomatic fallout
