Johannesburg, South Africa — The G20 Leaders’ Summit that convened this weekend near the Soweto township in Johannesburg ended under unusual circumstances: it was the first G20 held on African soil and the first to proceed without U.S. presidential attendance.
The Trump administration opted not to participate after President Trump made unfounded allegations that South Africa had seized white-owned land and condoned killings of white Afrikaners, and objected to the summit’s diversity, equity and inclusion agenda. Washington also pushed against a customary end-of-summit declaration and suggested a handover of the rotating presidency be given to a junior U.S. embassy official rather than to the absent president. South African leaders rejected those requests.
Organizers took the unique step of issuing a joint declaration at the meeting’s opening rather than at its close, a move made without U.S. input. The declaration emphasized concern about climate change, the importance of gender equality and the heavy debt burdens facing poorer countries — elements of the DEI and development priorities that drew White House criticism.
As the summit wrapped up, host President Cyril Ramaphosa formally closed the meeting with a ceremonial gavel and said the presidency would move to the United States next year. Because the U.S. president was not present, South African officials refused to hand the gavel to a lower-ranking U.S. diplomat; the two countries agreed instead to carry out a formal handover the following day between officials of equivalent rank.
South African ministers and many attending leaders hailed the summit as a success for the hosts, with Minister of International Relations Ronald Lamola calling the gathering positive as it concluded on Sunday. Ramaphosa had signaled beforehand that South Africa would not be intimidated into changing its plans, and the joint declaration reflected priorities South Africa said put the Global South at the center of the agenda.
The White House criticized those choices, with a spokesperson accusing Ramaphosa of hindering a smooth transition of the G20 presidency and saying President Trump looks forward to restoring what he called the group’s legitimacy when the U.S. hosts next year in Florida.
Not all members were fully on board. Argentina, whose president Javier Milei is a close Trump ally, did not attend in person and raised objections to parts of the declaration, though it was issued nonetheless.
Leaders who did attend expressed appreciation for South Africa’s stewardship even as divisions were visible. French President Emmanuel Macron publicly embraced Ramaphosa but warned that fractures remained. On the sidelines, European leaders questioned elements of the new U.S. peace proposal for Ukraine, saying it needed more work and cautioning that proposed limits on Ukraine’s armed forces could leave the country vulnerable. Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva voiced concerns about an expanded U.S. military presence near Venezuela.
The summit highlighted both a push by the host to spotlight developing-country priorities and the geopolitical rifts that continue to shape discussions among the world’s largest economies.