Trump’s Boycott Casts Shadow on G20: Ukraine & Climate Top Summit Agenda

The G20 Summit has commenced in Johannesburg, South Africa, with the crucial topics of Ukraine and climate change set to dominate discussions, though the gathering is already marked by the absence of US President Donald Trump.

Lead Story: Trump’s Absence and Ukraine

President Trump is boycotting the summit—the first ever to be held in Africa—but his plan to end the war in Ukraine has already been imposed upon the debates in South Africa.

European leaders present in Johannesburg will meet on Saturday to discuss the US President’s plan on the sidelines of the G20, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced.

Climate Negotiations: Focus Turns to G20

Discussions on climate scheduled for the afternoon are also expected to be closely watched, particularly as the COP30 climate negotiations in Belém, Brazil, appear to have reached a deadlock.

• On Friday, November 21, the official final day of the Amazonian meeting, discussions hit an obstacle over the potential inclusion of a roadmap to phase out fossil fuels.
• The European Union (EU) had not ruled out the possibility that COP30 could conclude without an agreement.
• Furthermore, the US has initiated its second withdrawal from the Paris climate accord under the current administration and sent no official delegation to the COP30 talks in Brazil.

Declaration Dispute and African Focus

The traditional final joint communiqué of the G20—titled “G20 Leaders’ Declaration”—is now in doubt due to US opposition.

• The United States has opposed the dissemination of a final G20 communiqué, citing its absence from a summit whose “priorities run counter” to Washington’s political views.
• Despite this, a draft declaration has been finalised and will be transmitted to the leaders, according to diplomatic and South African governmental sources.
• The title of the document has been modified, those same sources added, without disclosing the content.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa reaffirmed on Friday, “We hope to adopt the leaders’ declaration, which will set a new and sustainable programme for the world, especially the G20.”

The Johannesburg summit is symbolic: as the first to be hosted in Africa, it also marks the end of a cycle of G20 presidencies by “Global South” countries, following Indonesia (2022), India (2023), and Brazil (2024).

Summit Priorities and Multilateralism

The G20, which consists of 19 countries plus the European Union and the African Union, represents 85% of the world’s GDP and approximately two-thirds of the population.

South Africa’s presidency has set priorities including:

• The creation of an international panel on economic inequalities, modelled after the IPCC for climate.
• Debt relief.
• Energy transition minerals, which are abundant on the continent.
• Artificial intelligence.

Throughout its presidency, South Africa has positioned itself as a fervent defender of multilateralism, of which the G20 is an instrument.

European Council President Antonio Costa, speaking from Johannesburg, endorsed this stance: “Multilateralism is our best, perhaps our only defence against upheaval, violence and chaos. And South Africa has put multilateralism into practice.”

Despite the current US boycott, the Trump administration is scheduled to take over the rotating G20 presidency after South Africa. The administration has already announced its intention to restrict the summit’s focus to matters of economic cooperation. The summit is scheduled to conclude on Sunday.

Source: Defi Media