JOHANNESBURG — A gathering of G20 foreign ministers is scheduled for Thursday in Johannesburg. However, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will be absent due to strained U.S.-South Africa diplomatic relations.
Key figures such as Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi are anticipated to attend. The U.S. will be represented by acting ambassador to South Africa, Dana Brown.
The European Union, the United Nations, and the African Union (a G20 member) will also participate.
Rubio’s absence follows a U.S. presidential executive order halting foreign aid to South Africa, citing a law perceived by the White House as discriminatory against the white minority. Further fueling the tension is South Africa’s case against Israel at the International Court of Justice.
South African Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola clarified that Rubio’s non-attendance doesn’t constitute a complete boycott of South Africa’s G20 events. He confirmed U.S. representation in Johannesburg this week in some capacity.
U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent also confirmed his absence from a forthcoming G20 finance ministers’ meeting in South Africa, citing Washington commitments. A senior Treasury official will attend in his place.
Analysts interpret Rubio and Bessent’s absences as signaling a U.S. retreat from the G20 and highlighting severely strained relations.
“To understand the U.S. administration’s message, we need to see if the Treasury Secretary attends next week. His absence would be a serious indicator,” noted political analyst Daniel Bradlow.
President Cyril Ramaphosa will officially open the meeting, addressing the theme “Solidarity, Equality and Sustainability,” a diversity, equality, and inclusion framework opposed by the new Trump administration.
South Africa will host over 130 working group meetings and 23 ministerial-level meetings this year as part of its G20 presidency, which began in December 2024.
The U.S. is slated to assume the G20 presidency in 2026, following South Africa’s tenure.