President Cyril Ramaphosa says the G20 will issue a joint declaration at the end of the Johannesburg summit despite a U.S. boycott led by President Trump. South Africa, as this year's G20 president, insists it will not be pressured into diluting the final statement after hosting more than 120 preparatory meetings. The summit will prioritize climate resilience, debt relief and reducing global inequality, even as some world leaders and the U.S. stay away.
Ramaphosa Vows G20 Declaration as U.S. Boycotts Johannesburg Summit
President Cyril Ramaphosa says the G20 will issue a joint declaration at the end of the Johannesburg summit despite a U.S. boycott led by President Trump. South Africa, as this year's G20 president, insists it will not be pressured into diluting the final statement after hosting more than 120 preparatory meetings. The summit will prioritize climate resilience, debt relief and reducing global inequality, even as some world leaders and the U.S. stay away.
12:12 AM, 11/21/2025Politics
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said Thursday that the Group of 20 will adopt a joint declaration at the close of this weekend's summit in Johannesburg despite a U.S. decision to stay away. He insisted the host country will not be pressured into watering down outcomes and said talks were progressing well.
Key developments
Ramaphosa described the summit — the first G20 meeting on African soil — as moving forward "without the United States." He rejected pressure from Washington to limit the final statement and said negotiators were "just dotting the i's and crossing the t's."
"We will have a declaration... Without the United States, the whole process of the G20 is moving forward. We will not be bullied," Ramaphosa told reporters.
The U.S. announced it would boycott the two-day leaders' meeting, citing President Donald Trump's allegations that Ramaphosa's government is persecuting Afrikaners. Those claims have been widely rejected by many observers and world leaders, but they were cited by the White House as the reason for staying away.
A South African G20 ambassador said Washington had formally advised Pretoria that, in its view, there "should be no declaration adopted" if the U.S. was not present to agree to consensus language. South Africa—holding the G20 rotating presidency this year—had hoped to cap more than 120 preparatory meetings with a substantive final declaration.
Agenda and international response
As the first African presidency of the G20, South Africa has pushed for outcomes focused on issues that disproportionately affect poorer countries: climate resilience and weather-related disasters, debt relief for developing states and measures to tackle global wealth inequality.
Some U.S. officials have been openly critical of parts of Pretoria's agenda. U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, among others, has publicly disparaged priorities such as diversity, equity and inclusion and climate-related measures. Several other leaders are not attending in person — including China's Xi Jinping, Russia's Vladimir Putin and Argentina's Javier Milei — though their delegations will be present.
"The only country that is not in the room is the United States and, of course, it is their choice not to be in the room," said Xolisa Mabhongo, South Africa's ambassador to the G20.
South Africa will hand over the rotating presidency to the United States after the summit; Ramaphosa said he plans to speak with President Trump after the meeting despite the boycott.