A growing divide between the United States and European nations over the future of Ukraine threatened to dominate the G20 summit that began in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Saturday — an event marked by the absence of U.S. President Donald Trump.
The summit brought together major world leaders including French President Emmanuel Macron, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Trump, however, chose to boycott the gathering, with U.S. officials saying South Africa’s priorities — such as stronger global cooperation on trade and climate issues — clash with Washington’s current policy direction.
Opening the summit, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa indirectly responded to Trump’s absence, stressing that multilateralism is crucial for addressing global problems, including rising geopolitical tensions.
Still, Trump’s presence was felt throughout the event after he unveiled a surprise unilateral U.S. peace roadmap for Ukraine, which many say closely aligns with Russia’s interests. European leaders, including Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, after speaking with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, insisted that any peace plan must be backed by European partners and NATO allies.
Leaders from Europe, Canada, Japan, and Australia met on the sidelines to discuss how to move forward on Ukraine and explore adjustments to the U.S. proposal. A European diplomatic source said efforts are underway to make the plan more workable based on previous agreements. Allies have only a few days to sway Washington, as Trump has warned that Thursday is the “appropriate time” for Ukraine to accept the proposal.
Meanwhile, the G20 summit was also overshadowed by a deadlock at the COP30 climate talks in Brazil. Negotiations that were supposed to end Friday extended into overtime, as several oil-producing states pushed back against including a fossil-fuel phaseout in the final agreement.
Despite these challenges, South Africa emphasized the importance of international cooperation. Ramaphosa said the G20’s adopted declaration sends a clear message that multilateralism remains effective and essential.
The U.S. boycott reflects a wider withdrawal from global forums and follows Washington’s decision not to send an official delegation to COP30. The U.S. will only dispatch its chargé d’affaires for a handover ceremony at the end of the Johannesburg meeting, as it prepares to host next year’s G20 summit at a Trump-owned golf resort in Florida.
The G20 includes 19 countries along with the European Union and the African Union, representing around 85 percent of global GDP and two-thirds of the world’s population.
