JOHANNESBURG — The G20 leaders’ summit in Johannesburg, the first held on African soil, closed Sunday amid a high-profile U.S. absence and several firsts in the group’s modern history.
The Trump administration refused to attend after President Trump falsely accused South Africa of confiscating white-owned land and allowing killings of white Afrikaners, and because it objected to the summit’s focus on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). Washington also urged that no joint communique be issued and that any closing text be labeled only a “chair’s statement.”
Despite that pressure, host President Cyril Ramaphosa announced at the opening on Saturday that consensus had been reached and a joint declaration was issued without U.S. input. The declaration, which White House spokesperson Anna Kelly criticized, included language on the threat of climate change, the importance of gender equality and the debt burdens confronting poorer countries. Kelly accused Ramaphosa of “refusing to facilitate a smooth transition of the G20 presidency” and said Trump looked forward to “restoring legitimacy” to the forum next year, with plans to host in Florida.
South African Minister of International Relations Ronald Lamola described the summit as a success. “In a nutshell … this has been a great success for our country,” he said as the meeting wrapped up near the Johannesburg township of Soweto.
Ramaphosa formally closed the summit Sunday, striking a ceremonial gavel and saying the presidency now moves to the United States. Normally the gavel would be handed to the incoming leader, but President Trump was not present. Washington had requested that Ramaphosa hand over to a junior U.S. embassy official; the South Africans refused. “It’s a breach of protocol. It has never happened before,” Ramaphosa’s spokesperson Vincent Magwenya told reporters. The handover is expected to take place Monday between South African and U.S. officials of comparable rank.
Not all members were fully comfortable with the final text. Argentina, whose president Javier Milei — a Trump ally — did not attend in solidarity with Trump, raised objections to some language but the declaration was still issued.
World leaders in attendance praised South Africa’s stewardship, with French President Emmanuel Macron publicly embracing Ramaphosa. Still, divisions were visible. European leaders issued a statement expressing concerns about the U.S.’s new peace plan for Ukraine, saying it required further work and warning that proposed limits on Ukraine’s forces could leave it vulnerable. Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva separately voiced concern about a U.S. military buildup near Venezuela.
While Ramaphosa said the summit put the Global South “at the heart of the agenda” and prioritized issues important to developing economies, geopolitical conflicts and disagreements over policy and process underscored continuing rifts among the world’s major powers.
