- Статьи
- World
- There was a demarche: the majority of G20 countries are against the US decision to exclude South Africa
There was a demarche: the majority of G20 countries are against the US decision to exclude South Africa
On the eve of the G20 summit, most of the group's countries are trying to convince the Trump administration to abandon the isolation of South Africa, Izvestia found out. The intention of the United States to unilaterally determine the participants creates a dangerous precedent — the G20 remains almost the only platform where the West and the Global South meet at the same table. This topic will be discussed, among other things, at the upcoming ministerial meeting in Atlanta. The exclusion of South Africa as one of the key BRICS countries calls into question at least the economic decisions of the group, and at most the legitimacy of the entire institution. What other demarches to expect at the G20 can be found in the Izvestia article.
Most of the G20 demands South Africa's return
The second half of 2026 is particularly rich in major international events. The September BRICS summit in India opens the marathon of negotiations at the highest level: Russia–Africa, ASEAN, APEC and, finally, the G20. The G20 summit will be held only on December 14-15 in Miami, but it has already become full of scandals ahead of schedule. First of all, because of the refusal of the United States to invite South Africa there.
Russia immediately criticized Washington's decision, as it violates the principles of the organization's functioning. For Moscow, the G20 platform, after being excluded from the G8, remains perhaps one of the few where a direct dialogue with the West is possible, which they diligently refuse. The Russian side will raise the issue with South Africa, including at the October ministerial meeting in Atlanta. The G20 should work in full and on the basis of consensus, and the presidency does not have the authority to limit anyone's participation unilaterally, Marat Berdyev, ambassador-at-large of the Russian Foreign Ministry, who serves as a supervisor in the Group of Twenty, told Izvestia.
— We consider the status of South Africa as a full-fledged member of the G20 to be indisputable. We advocate that our friends from Pretoria return to the negotiating table as soon as possible. This point of view is shared by the overwhelming majority of delegations, which actively broadcast it to the United States," the diplomat said.
In addition to the Russian Federation, other BRICS members expressed a similar position. China has openly supported South Africa's continued participation in the G20 format. And India has shown its support with Narendra Modi's personal participation in the Johannesburg summit.
The President of Brazil reacted the harshest. Luis Inacio Lula da Silva bluntly stated that Trump has no right to refuse Cyril Ramaphosa an invitation, and he should come to Miami, no matter what.
At the same time, US allies like France, Italy, South Korea and Japan are expected to maintain complete diplomatic silence in the public field. Great Britain, as the future chairman, does not need scandals. And South Africa seems to be counting on London's support next year.
The United States has been demonstratively protesting throughout the entire South African presidency in 2025. The charge d'affaires of the American Embassy in South Africa, Dana Brown, was sent to the ministerial meeting in February of that year instead of Marco Rubio, and no one came to the November summit at all. Pretoria refused the favor this time. Because of this, the traditional transfer of the symbolic hammer to the next chairman, the United States, took place in front of an empty chair.
Ronald Lamola, Minister of International Relations and Cooperation of South Africa
Now, the United States has taken full advantage of the situation, deciding not to invite South Africa to the summit because of its policy towards Afrikaners. Donald Trump accused the authorities of infringing on the rights of the white minority. "To put it more bluntly, they are killing white people and allowing their farms to be arbitrarily taken away from them," Trump explained.
But the United States has no complaints about Poland, which they decided to invite to the summit instead of South Africa. "Poland is an outstanding country. We really like her. We are friends of Poland. The president is doing a great job. That's why we invited her," the head of the White House argued this time.
Poland personally asked to be invited to the G20 after it joined the club of "trillion—dollar economies" in September 2025 - countries with a GDP of more than $1 trillion. Trump values the economic power of his allies, and this was probably the decisive argument.
What will happen to the G20 now
The G20 remains almost the only format where the key countries of the West and the Global South can still communicate their point of view to each other. The G20 is formed on the basis of the economic weight and geopolitical influence of countries, precisely in order to ensure representation of different regions of the world. The idea of the G20 was for industrialized Western countries and rising powers to jointly discuss global development issues. Therefore, the exclusion of South Africa is a direct violation of the established protocols of the G20, working on the basis of consensus, which calls into question the basic principles of the organization, Anton Bespalov, program director of Valdai, told Izvestia.
The case of South Africa, one of the key BRICS participants, really sets a dangerous precedent for the creation of a Western camp in the G20. The BRICS countries' share of global GDP at purchasing power parity has already reached 40%. And with the accession of Indonesia, the most populous Muslim country, unification now accounts for 45% of the world's total population. Berdyev stressed that the BRICS countries are becoming the engine of economic growth and largely determine the course of global processes, therefore their role in the G20 and global governance is high.
This is also understood in Europe, although it is not publicly recognized. Only Germany spoke out for the entire EU. First, Chancellor Friedrich Merz criticized the boycott of the Johannesburg summit by the United States, and then Foreign Minister Johann Vadefoul made a demarche on the eve of the summit in Miami. "To exclude South Africa means to sideline an important voice of Africa, as well as a leading regional economic and political force," said the chief of German diplomacy. Vadefulh also "rode" through the UN Security Council, which has long had many questions about its work due to the involvement of most of the participants. According to him, the absence of Africa among the permanent members deprives the UN of full-fledged representativeness.
In fact, the US decision is not understood in most Western countries, Bespalov says. For the vast majority of participants, this is a real neocolonial agenda. Even the president of Argentina, who boycotted the Johannesburg summit last year, did so as an ally of Trump, but did not join his claims against South Africa on the racial issue, the expert concluded.
The UK may face difficult choices next year. As one of Washington's oldest and closest partners, the kingdom can go along with its overseas ally. However, London's own aggressive stance towards Moscow may also prompt scandalous decisions. The United Kingdom, under new Prime Minister Andy Burnham, continued to provide military support to Ukraine, and, as Izvestia found out earlier, it will only increase it.
Most likely, some kind of demarche will be made against Russia in the year of the British presidency, but in a more "civilized" form: the host country has plenty of opportunities to ruin the lives of participants using diplomatic levers and procedural mechanisms, Bespalov believes. According to him, this will allow London to save face in front of its allies, but it is unlikely to strengthen the authority of the G20 format. Interestingly, the United States would like to see Russian President Vladimir Putin at its "own" summit, broadcasting appropriate signals, Marat Berdyev said earlier.
In any case, the international community, some publicly and some silently, understands that the arbitrary exclusion and addition of countries to established international formats is a completely unacceptable practice. Such egregious violations can affect any of the G20 members if the policy of their authorities at some point ceases to meet the interests of the Western majority.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
