Trump says he may skip G-20 summit in South Africa, cites policy disapproval
Mr Trump has taken issue with South African domestic and foreign policies.
WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump said on July 29 he might skip the upcoming Group of 20 (G-20) leaders' summit in South Africa in November and send someone else to represent the United States, citing his disapproval of South African policies.
"I think maybe I'll send somebody else because I've had a lot of problems with South Africa. They have some very bad policies," Mr Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One.
Mr Trump has taken issue with South African domestic and foreign policies - ranging from its land policy to its case accusing Israel of genocide in the US ally's war in Gaza.
Mr Trump signed an executive order in February to cut US financial assistance to South Africa.
In May, Mr Trump confronted South African President Cyril Ramaphosa with
false claims of white genocide and land seizures during a White House meeting.
Earlier in 2025, Secretary of State Marco Rubio also boycotted a G-20 foreign ministers' meeting in South Africa, which has the G-20 presidency from December 2024 to November 2025.
Washington, both under Mr Trump and former President Joe Biden, has complained about the case brought by South Africa at the International Court of Justice, where
it accused Israel of genocide over its military assault in Gaza.
Israel's assault has killed tens of thousands, caused a hunger crisis, internally displaced Gaza's entire population and also led to accusations of war crimes at the International Criminal Court.
Israel denies the accusations and casts its Gaza offensive as self-defence after a
deadly October 2023 Hamas attack that killed 1,200 people and in which over 250 were taken hostage.
Diplomatic relations between the US and South Africa have also been strained under Mr Trump due to South Africa's Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) policies to address the legacy of centuries of racial inequality.
Mr Ramaphosa, who has urged Mr Trump to attend the G-20 summit, rejects Washington's claims that South Africa will use its land policy to arbitrarily confiscate white-owned land. REUTERS
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
12 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Brazil's Lula says he will discuss Trump tariffs with BRICS group
Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva looks on during an interview with Reuters at the Alvorada Palace, in Brasilia, Brazil, August 6, 2025. REUTERS/Adriano Machado BRASILIA - Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva presented himself as a torchbearer for multilateralism in a fractured world in an interview with Reuters on Wednesday, revealing plans to call the leaders of India and China to discuss a joint BRICS response to tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump. "What President Trump is doing is tacit — he wants to dismantle multilateralism, where agreements are made collectively within institutions, and replace it with unilateralism, where he negotiates one-on-one with other countries," Lula said. "What bargaining power does a small Latin American country have against the United States? None." Lula said he will initiate a conversation at the BRICS group of developing nations about how to tackle Trump's tariffs. He said he planned to call Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday, and China's Xi Jinping and other leaders after. The group also has Russia and other emerging economies among its members. "I'm going to try to discuss with them about how each one is doing in this situation, what the implications are for each country, so we can make a decision," he said. "It's important to remember that the BRICS have ten countries at the G20," he added, referring to the group that gathers 20 of the world's biggest economies. Lula stressed that Brazil now holds the presidency of the BRICS and said that he wants to discuss with allies why Trump is attacking multilateralism and what his goals may be. Trump called the BRICS "anti-American" and threatened the bloc's nations with additional 10% tariffs last month, while the group gathered in a summit in Rio de Janeiro. REUTERS
Straits Times
12 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Trump plans to meet with Putin as soon as next week, New York Times reports
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump and Russia's President Vladimir Putin talk during the family photo session at the APEC Summit in Danang, Vietnam November 11, 2017. REUTERS/Jorge Silva/File Photo WASHINGTON - U.S. President Donald Trump plans to meet in person with Russian President Vladimir Putin as early as next week, the New York Times reported on Wednesday, citing two people familiar with the plan. Trump then plans to meet with Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the newspaper reported, adding that the plans were disclosed in a call with European leaders on Wednesday. The White House did not immediately respond to the report but earlier on Wednesday Trump acknowledged that he spoke with European leaders after U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff's "highly productive" meeting with Putin in Russia. While noting that "great progress" was made during the meeting, Trump wrote on Truth Social: "Everyone agrees this War must come to a close, and we will work towards that in the days and weeks to come." Trump, who promised to end Russia's war in Ukraine on "day one" during his presidential campaign, has held several phone calls with Putin and has met with Zelenskiy since returning to the White House in January. However, in recent weeks, he has become increasingly frustrated with Moscow over a lack of progress towards ending the three-year conflict. REUTERS
Straits Times
42 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Lula plans new 'national sovereignty' policy for strategic minerals
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva speaks during an interview with Reuters at the Alvorada Palace, in Brasilia, Brazil, August 6, 2025. REUTERS/Adriano Machado BRASILIA - Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva told Reuters on Wednesday of his plans for a new national policy treating strategic minerals as a matter of "national sovereignty" in order to avoid exporting minerals without adding value locally. "We won't allow what happened in the last century to happen again, where Brazil exports raw minerals and then buys products with very high added value," the president, known as Lula, said in the interview. "We want to add value in Brazil." Lula's comments came as a new 50% tariff hit U.S. imports from Brazil amid a political spat between the two countries linked to an investigation against the South American country's former president, Jair Bolsonaro. Bolsonaro, under house arrest since late Monday, is standing trial on charges of plotting a coup to overturn his 2022 electoral defeat. Bolsonaro has denied wrongdoing. U.S. President Donald Trump, seen as a Bolsonaro ally, has decried what he calls persecution of Brazil's former leader. Trump has long sought to secure U.S. supplies of critical minerals, complaining of China's near-total control of the industry and striking deals with Ukraine to secure critical minerals in exchange for defense help. Currently, Brazil lacks a complete mapping of its mineral wealth, Lula said, adding that his government would start this process by setting up the national council on mineral materials and standards. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore MRT track issue causes 5-hour delay; Jeffrey Siow says 'we can and will do better' Singapore ST Explains: What is a track point fault and why does it cause lengthy train disruptions? Singapore Three people taken to hospital after fire in Punggol executive condominium Singapore Elderly man found dead in SingPost Centre stairwell could have been in confused state: Coroner Singapore 81 primary schools to hold ballot for Phase 2C of Primary 1 registration Singapore S'pore and Indonesia have discussed jointly developing military training facilities: Chan Chun Sing Singapore Two workers died after being hit by flying gas cylinders in separate incidents in 2025 Sport Young Lions and distance runner Soh Rui Yong left out of SEA Games contingent The council will safeguard Brazil's control of its mineral wealth, allowing the country to become a global leader in the energy transition, Lula said, adding that businesses will not face difficulties following the council's creation. "Few countries in the world have the opportunity that Brazil has in this area," Lula said. REUTERS
