US Makes Eleventh-Hour U-Turn On G20 Boycott, Ramaphosa Confirms
President Cyril Ramaphosa has confirmed that the United States (US) has reversed its decision to boycott the G20 Leaders Summit taking place in South Africa this weekend.
Ramaphosa disclosed the last-minute development during a European Union leaders’ gathering at the Sandton Convention Centre on Thursday evening, noting that Washington had sent a fresh notice indicating a change in its position.
The President indicated that talks were ongoing to determine what US attendance would look like in practical terms.
Trump’s Boycott Collapses After Weeks of Escalating Tensions
The reversal comes after US President Donald Trump had, for months, insisted that the United States would not attend the G20 Summit and that no federal representative would take part in any G20-related event.
His boycott followed renewed claims he made about so-called “white genocide” in South Africa — allegations widely debunked and criticised globally. Earlier this year, Trump had said Vice President J.D. Vance would attend the summit on his behalf, before abruptly ordering a blanket boycott weeks before the event.
Relations between Washington and Pretoria have been strained during Trump’s second term, with tensions peaking following a frosty Oval Office meeting between Trump and Ramaphosa in May.
Ramaphosa Rebukes ‘Narrow Agendas’ at Global Forums
Despite the diplomatic softening, Ramaphosa delivered a subtle rebuke to Trump earlier on Thursday during the closing of the G20 Social Summit. He warned against countries using global platforms to push “narrow global agendas”.
“It cannot be that a country’s geographical location or income level or army determines who has a voice, and who is spoken down to,” he said.
“This means that there should be no bullying of one nation by another nation. We are all equal.”
While formal confirmation is pending, the most senior available diplomat is Marc Dillard, the US Deputy Chief of Mission to South Africa, Kenya, and Malawi. Dillard has held senior roles in Nairobi, Budapest, and Washington, and is among the top embassy officials currently in Pretoria.
The Presidency is expected to issue a further update once the United States delegation’s composition is finalised.
