As world leaders arrive in South Africa for the first-ever G20 Summit on African soil, the United States has firmly limited its participation to a purely ceremonial appearance, rejecting any suggestion of broader engagement.
A White House statement posted on X confirmed that the US Chargé d’Affaires in Pretoria will attend only the formal Declaration handover ceremony on Saturday. The administration explicitly stated that the US will not take part in substantive G20 discussions and labelled any reports suggesting otherwise as fake news.
The clarification followed brief remarks by President Cyril Ramaphosa earlier on Thursday in which he welcomed apparent renewed interest from Washington in some form of participation.
Despite the US stance, high-level arrivals continue: Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen landed early, joined by French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi are also confirmed.
China will be represented by Premier Li Qiang, while Russian President Vladimir Putin, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, and Argentine President Javier Milei will be absent. In total, 42 countries and 65 delegations, including the African Union and 15 invited guests, will gather at the Nasrec Expo Centre.
The summit’s core agenda remains climate adaptation for developing economies, clean-energy transitions, and debt relief under South Africa’s theme of “Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability.” Pretoria has invited extensive Global South representation and side events, including the B20 business forum and a youth summit, to amplify African and developing-world priorities.
With the US maintaining its boycott of substantive talks and signalling opposition to a consensus Leaders’ Declaration, the final communiqué may be downgraded to a non-binding Chair’s Statement — a potential first for the G20 since 2008.
Despite the tensions, South Africa insists the gathering will proceed as a landmark moment for the continent and the Global South, with or without full American engagement.