US to Skip G20 Talks in South Africa Over Diplomatic Tensions

The upcoming G20 foreign ministers’ talks scheduled for February 20-21 in Johannesburg to be held in South Africa. Some controversies are going on due to which US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is likely going to miss after he released a statement to that effect. The announcement was made by Rubio who accused the host of South America of harboring an anti-American agenda and particularly blamed South Africa for its land reform policies and its focus on “solidarity, equality, & sustainability”.

The two nations’ decision was becoming stronger and stronger as President Donald Trump brought the question of South Africa’s land reform to the spotlight in his recent speech. South African Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola, however, supported the government, arguing the case that the land reform law is similar to the US eminent domain legislation. The tension was exacerbated when South African President Cyril Ramaphosa traditionally reached out to Elon Musk to discuss deceptive statements made by Trump in connection with the land reform.

Quite a diplomatic catastrophe it is for the G20 meeting if the USA will abstain from the negotiations, which is the global forum that unites the largest economies around the world. Also on the platform was the prospective US-Russia dialogue which Rubio might have used to some extent in his meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in an ongoing discussion about the Ukraine war.