St Francis Chronicle, Edited: President Cyril Ramaphosa announced yesterday that South Africa received notice from the US about a possible change of approach regarding its participation in the G20 Leaders’ Summit.
He said this was “a very positive sign!, describing the development as a “very positive” sign.
The message from the US arrived a few hours hours before the start of the Leaders’ Summit, prompting urgent engagement to understand the implications and practicalities of its potential participation.
Speaking during a press briefing following his trilateral meeting with European Council President António Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, President Ramaphosa confirmed that discussions with Washington were ongoing.
“We have received notice from the United States, a notice which we are still in discussions with them over about a change of mind about participating in one shape, form or other in the Summit,” he said on Thursday evening,” Ramaphosa said.
Despite the timing, the President said South Africa viewed the shift as encouraging. “We see this as a positive sign, very positive because, as I’ve often said, boycott politics never work. It’s always best to be inside the tent than being outside of the tent,” the President said.
He emphasised the importance of the US presence in global governance structures, saying its engagement strengthens multilateral cooperation.
“The tent is G20, all countries are here and the United States being biggest economy in the world needs to be here. So, it’s pleasing to hear that there is a change of approach, and so we are still discussing how that will manifest,” he said.
President Ramaphosa is expected to continue high-level engagements with global partners ahead of the commencement of the G20 Leaders’ Summit at the weekend.
Earlier in the day the President had said the G20 process is moving ahead decisively with or without the United States after US President Donald Trump threatened to block the adoption of any joint declaration under South Africa’s G20 Presidency.
Speaking to members of the media as he left the G20 Social Summit to address the B20 gathering, President Ramaphosa expressed confidence that negotiations were nearing completion, despite the United States objections.
Ramaphosa sl told journalists he was encouraged by the progress made across multiple G20 tracks, praising engagements he had held throughout the day.
In other top level talks with President Ramaphosa, President of the European Council António Costa and President of the European Commission Dr Ursula von der Leyen, reaffirmed the deepening of the South Africa–European Union partnership at a trilateral meeting held ahead of the G20 Leaders’ Summit.
Thursday’s engagement in Sandton, Johannesburg, followed a series of previous meetings between the leaders, including at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA80), the European Union’s (EU) Global Gateway Forum in Brussels, and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Kuala Lumpur.
The leaders reviewed progress on the key political and economic outcomes agreed to at the 8th South Africa – EU Summit held in March 2025, in Cape Town.
On agriculture and market access, the leaders reaffirmed their commitment to facilitate bilateral trade in animals, plants and their products.
“South Africa reaffirmed its commitment to enable [the] trade of poultry, including through a conclusive discussion on regionalisation, as well as further assess and process EU market access applications based on the information to be provided by exporting countries as a matter of priority,” the communique read.
The EU signalled its readiness to advance the listing of South Africa as eligible to export shelf-stable composite products, and both sides committed to identifying tangible deliverables for the next Trade and Investment Dialogue.
The leaders said the meeting was held in the same spirit of partnership and cooperation that characterised the SA–EU Summit in Cape Town and reaffirmed their commitment to redoubling efforts to advance shared prosperity based on equality and mutual benefit.
The EU confirmed that it looks forward to hosting the 9th South Africa–EU Summit in Brussels on a date still to be agreed upon.
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