Johannesburg, November 20, 2025 — The United States has reversed its decision to boycott the G20 Leaders’ Summit in South Africa and will now participate in the meeting scheduled for November 22-23, 2025.
President Cyril Ramaphosa confirmed on Thursday that the United States informed South Africa of its change of position and wishes to attend the summit, which will take place at the NASREC Expo Centre in Johannesburg.
This year’s summit marks the end of South Africa’s 2025 G20 presidency—the first time an African nation has held the role—and will focus on climate change mitigation, debt relief for developing countries, and reducing global inequality.
On November 7, 2025, President Donald Trump announced that no U.S. government official would attend the summit, citing alleged violent persecution of South Africa’s white minority population by the South African government. The White House subsequently cancelled Vice President JD Vance’s planned participation.
The boycott decision followed months of strained relations, including a tense May 2025 meeting between Trump and Ramaphosa over the same allegations, and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s earlier refusal to attend the G20 foreign ministers’ meeting in February 2025.
Before the reversal, the United States had told South Africa that no full joint leaders’ declaration could be issued without U.S. participation, as G20 decisions require consensus, and had pushed for only a chairperson’s statement to be released instead.
President Ramaphosa stated that arrangements are now being made for U.S. participation and expressed confidence that the U.S. seat will be occupied when the summit begins. No details have been released about which U.S. official will attend or at what level.
South African G20 ambassador Xolisa Mabhongo confirmed that, until the latest communication, the United States was the only G20 member not participating in preparatory meetings.
Ramaphosa has repeatedly stated that the summit will proceed as planned, will produce a full leaders’ declaration regardless of initial U.S. absence, and that the G20 presidency will be formally handed over to the United States after the Johannesburg meeting.
Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Argentine President Javier Milei will not attend in person and are sending representatives instead.
Additional security forces have been deployed across Johannesburg ahead of the summit due to expected protests.
The U.S. decision to participate was first reported by SABC News diplomatic editor Sophie Mokoena and later officially confirmed by President Ramaphosa.
