US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will skip a two-day meeting of foreign ministers from the Group of 20 (G20) nations that starts on Thursday due to criticism of host South Africa’s policies as anti-American. Instead, he is headed back to the US after leading talks with Russia in Saudi Arabia over the war in Ukraine.
The G20 meeting, which would normally be an opportunity for a US secretary of state to push for support on US positions, will instead feature a lower-level US delegation. South Africa has chosen “solidarity, equality, sustainability” as the theme of this year’s G20 presidency.
Rubio had previously announced that he would not attend the main G20 summit in November and stated that his job is to advance America’s national interests, not coddle anti-Americanism. The move reflects a major deterioration in US relations with South Africa, one of its key trade partners in Africa.
The two countries are set to work together under G20 protocols, but analysts say Rubio’s absence may limit progress on key issues such as debt refinancing and climate change mitigation. Despite this, European allies have expressed support for South Africa’s G20 leadership, emphasizing the need for multilateral cooperation to address global challenges.
Source: https://apnews.com/article/rubio-trump-g20-south-africa-eu-f586fb63186ac09877a2cd80bb7f6b56