The host, South Africa, has accused the United States of pressuring the participating heads of state of G20 nations not to adopt a declaration in its absence.
Leaders of the world’s leading economies on Saturday adopted a declaration addressing global challenges despite strong US opposition, said South African officials on Sunday. The move broke the traditional protocol where declarations are only signed and adopted at the end of G20 summits.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, opening the summit, said, "We should not allow anything to diminish the value, the stature and the impact of the first African G20 presidency." This year, US President Donald Trump chose to boycott the summit over the South African government’s crucial 2025 land reforms.
South African officials said on Saturday that Washington had exerted immense pressure on the participating nations not to adopt a declaration while the US was absent. Ramaphosa argued that despite the US absence, the G20 still played a key and crucial role in international cooperation and global trade.
He said, "The G20 points towards the importance and need of multilateralism," adding, "The challenges we face today can be resolved through cooperation and collaboration." Despite South African optimism, French President Emmanuel Macron warned that the “important platform may be coming to its end.”
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Macron added, “We are living in a moment when geopolitics is constantly evolving, and we are facing issues to resolve the crisis which are still around the table with members who are not here today.”
He was joined by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who also agreed with Macron's warning. "There's no doubt, the road ahead is tough," he said. "We need to find ways to play a constructive role again today in the face of the world's challenges."
Meanwhile, EU, Ukrainian and US officials are discussing the latest peace proposal to end the war in Ukraine in the Swiss city of Geneva today.
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