JOHANNESBURG – A US-European rift over the future of Ukraine threatened to overshadow the G20 Summit that began in South Africa on Saturday, marked by the notable absence of US President Donald Trump.
The Johannesburg gathering was attended by numerous 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.
However, the summit was boycotted by the US president, with his government stating that South Africa’s priorities—which include boosting global cooperation on trade and climate action—run counter to US policy.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, whilst opening the event, implicitly addressed Trump’s absence by emphasising that “multilateralism” was needed to help solve global challenges, including those arising from “escalating geopolitical tensions”.
Despite his physical absence, the US president nonetheless loomed large at the first summit of the group of major economies to be held in Africa, particularly after he produced a surprise unilateral US plan to end the war in Ukraine that largely aligns with Russia’s objectives.
Leaders from Europe, Canada, Japan, and Australia were scheduled to meet on the sidelines of the summit on Saturday to “discuss the way ahead on Ukraine”, according to an EU official.
A European diplomatic source told AFP: “We are working on making the US plan something more practicable, based on previous dialogue.”
Following a call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday, Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer stressed that any such plan required the “joint support and consensus of European partners and NATO allies”.
However, Ukraine and its allies have only a few days to attempt to influence Washington’s 28-point proposal, as Trump has warned that “Thursday is, we think, an appropriate time” for Ukraine to accept it.
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Climate Impasse
Another issue plaguing the G20 summit was a deadlock at the COP30 climate negotiations taking place in Brazil. Friday was intended to be the final day of those talks, which had continued for nearly two weeks. However, negotiations have extended into overtime because petro-states were accused of resisting any reference to a fossil fuel phase-out in the final text.
Despite these challenges, host South Africa emphasised that international cooperation remained key.
“The G20 underscores the value and relevance of multilateralism. It recognises that the challenges we face can only be resolved through cooperation, collaboration, and partnership,” Ramaphosa said.
He noted that a joint G20 summit leaders’ declaration, adopted at the start of the summit, “sends an important signal to the world that multilateralism can and does deliver”.
The US boycott echoes Trump’s decision not to send an official delegation to COP30, reflecting a broader American withdrawal from international forums.
Washington indicated it would send its chargé d’affaires from its embassy only at the end of the Johannesburg meeting for a handover ceremony, as the United States will host next year’s G20 summit at a golf club owned by Trump in Florida.
The G20 is a grouping of 19 countries plus the European Union and the African Union. It represents 85% of global GDP and approximately two-thirds of the world’s population.
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