Overview
- The White House reaffirmed that the United States will not take part in the official G20 talks, rejecting President Cyril Ramaphosa’s suggestion of a late change in stance.
- Multiple top leaders are absent or sending deputies, with China represented by Premier Li Qiang and Russia by Maxim Oreshkin, while President Donald Trump, Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin are not attending.
- Host South Africa opened the first G20 on African soil urging cooperation and seeking agreement on priorities for the Global South, including debt relief, climate financing and tackling inequality.
- Prospects for a traditional joint leaders’ communiqué and the ceremonial transfer of the presidency to the United States remain uncertain, with Pretoria resisting a low‑level handover.
- European leaders, including Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz, are using the gathering for outreach and coordination, including consultations on a recent U.S. proposal regarding the war in Ukraine.