A growing rift between the United States and Europe over the future of Ukraine is set to overshadow the G20 summit opening in Johannesburg on Saturday, compounded by the pointed absence of US President Donald Trump.
The gathering — the first G20 summit to be hosted on African soil — is drawing world leaders including French President Emmanuel Macron, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Trump, however, is boycotting the summit, with his administration arguing that South Africa’s priorities, particularly its emphasis on global cooperation on trade and climate action, clash with US policy.
Despite his absence, Trump’s influence loomed large after Washington unveiled a surprise unilateral peace plan for Ukraine that aligns closely with Russia’s objectives. The move prompted pushback from European leaders, who stressed after consultations with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that any proposal must have the consensus of European partners and NATO allies.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said EU leaders would meet on the summit’s sidelines to make clear that “there should be nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine.” Further discussions are planned at next week’s EU–African Union summit in Angola.
Trump has publicly warned Kyiv that it has limited time to accept his administration’s 28-point plan, telling Fox News Radio that “Thursday is… an appropriate time” for a decision.
Climate Deadlock Casts Additional Shadow
Another contentious issue hanging over the summit is the impasse at the COP30 climate negotiations in Brazil. The talks, scheduled to end Friday after nearly two weeks, risk being extended as oil-producing nations were accused of blocking references to a fossil-fuel phaseout in the final agreement.
Despite global tensions, South Africa remains optimistic that leaders will endorse its agenda, which prioritises reducing economic inequality, easing debt for low-income countries, supporting clean-energy transitions, and securing a pact on critical minerals.
“We are hoping to have the leaders’ declaration adopted, which will set a new and continuing agenda for the world,” President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Friday.
Negotiators completed a draft joint text for leaders to consider, though its contents remain undisclosed. It was unclear whether a traditional summit communiqué would be issued, given the US boycott and Washington’s insistence that no declaration be released in the G20’s name.
Ramaphosa, who has dismissed the Trump administration’s claims of “white genocide” in South Africa as baseless, joined other leaders in emphasising the importance of multilateralism.
“Multilateralism is our best — perhaps our only — defence against disruption, violence and chaos,” said European Council President Antonio Costa at a pre-summit briefing.
The US boycott mirrors Trump’s decision not to send an official delegation to the ongoing COP30 talks. Washington said it will dispatch only a chargé d’affaires from its Pretoria embassy to attend the closing handover ceremony, as the US prepares to host next year’s summit at a Trump-owned golf resort in Florida.
The G20 consists of 19 countries along with the European Union and the African Union, representing 85 percent of global GDP and roughly two-thirds of the world’s population.
