Russia's Lavrov joins top European diplomats at G20 meeting in South Africa

[February 20, 2025]  By MOGOMOTSI MAGOME and MICHELLE GUMEDE

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov arrived in South Africa on Thursday for a two-day meeting of the Group of 20 nations, where top European diplomats are expected to reinforce their support for Ukraine and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is a high-profile absentee.

Lavrov traveled to Johannesburg for the G20 foreign ministers' meeting two days after landmark bilateral talks between the United States and Russia over ending the war in Ukraine. Those talks sidelined the U.S.'s European allies and Ukraine, who were not involved.

U.S. President Donald Trump further upended the West's position by criticizing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and falsely blaming Ukraine for the war, which marks its third anniversary next week.

Rubio decided not to attend the G20 meeting amid tensions with South Africa over some of its policies that the Trump administration has condemned as anti-American. The U.S. will be represented by Acting Ambassador to South Africa Dana Brown.

The G20 is made up of 19 of the world's major economies and the European Union. Those taking part Thursday included EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

While South Africa, which holds the G20 presidency this year, hopes that the meeting will make progress on issues affecting the developing world like debt refinancing and climate change, one of the first sessions will involve discussions on the global geopolitical situation, according to the agenda.

Britain, France, Germany and the EU have all pledged continued support for Ukraine and condemned Russia's aggression, while seeking to be a part of any ceasefire negotiations. The G20 meeting in South Africa offers European nations a chance to speak with a united voice on the Russia-Ukraine war and any peace process amid their own divisions.

The G20 is supposed to bring countries together to create a foundation for global economic stability and development. But the grouping often struggles to reach any meaningful consensus on issues because of the disparate interests of the U.S., Europe, Russia and China.

In this photo released by The State Duma, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov speaks to lawmakers during a session at the State Duma, the Lower House of the Russian Parliament in Moscow, Russia, on Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025. (The State Duma, the Lower House of the Russian Parliament via AP)

Rubio's decision to boycott this week's meeting and his pledge to also skip the main G20 summit in South Africa in November threatens to further undermine the G20's effectiveness. Meanwhile, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also said he will not attend a G20 finance ministers meeting in South Africa next week.

The Trump administration punished South Africa with an executive order this month that cut all U.S. aid and assistance to the country over what it called its anti-American stance. The order criticized South Africa's decision to accuse Israel of genocide in Gaza in an ongoing case at the United Nations' top court as veiled support for the Palestinian militant group Hamas. The Trump administration also cited what it called South Africa's relationship with Iran and the Communist Party in China.

Rubio has rejected South Africa's theme for its G20 presidency, which is “solidarity, equality and sustainability.”

“In other words: DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) and climate change,” Rubio wrote on X. “My job is to advance America’s national interests, not waste taxpayer money or coddle anti-Americanism."

South Africa downplayed suggestions that Rubio's absence was undermining its G20 presidency. Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola said on the eve of the meeting in Johannesburg that there was “not a complete boycott of South Africa’s G20" by the U.S.

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Associated Press writer Gerald Imray in Cape Town, South Africa, contributed to this report.

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