President Cyril Ramaphosa has revealed late discussions about US involvement in the G20 Summit, raising questions on the extent of that country’s participation. (Photo: Siyabulela Duda / GCIS) 
The G20 sherpas reached an agreement on a Leaders’ Declaration at 8.30am on Friday after negotiating through the night. They had been in discussions since Sunday to agree on an outcome document in time for the summit, which starts on Saturday at Nasrec, south of Johannesburg.
Agreeing on a Leaders’ Declaration appeared to be a victory for South Africa, which had been insisting on a declaration, rather than a mere Chair’s Statement.
However, it is not yet clear if SA had to significantly weaken the language of the declaration to win the agreement of conservative countries like Argentina, which was strongly opposed to any references to gender.
Argentina had also opposed references to the Sustainable Development Goals, while major oil and gas-producing nations, Saudi Arabia and Russia, had objected to support for renewable energy.
Some G20 members had previously expressed support for a strong Chair’s Statement rather than a weak declaration.
There had also been talk of issuing a Johannesburg Leaders’ Declaration rather than a G20 Johannesburg Leaders’ Declaration to show that the document reflected the views of those countries present and did not include the US, which is not participating. It is not clear what form the declaration agreement reached on Friday takes.
SA dismisses US request
The agreement reached by the sherpas comes after President Cyril Ramaphosa appeared to have dismissed a request from the US embassy for him to hand over the presidency of the G20 to the acting US ambassador at the G20 summit in Johannesburg this weekend.
Ramaphosa revealed at a press conference with EU leaders on Thursday that the US had asked to participate in the summit, but he did not provide details. It had earlier emerged that the US embassy had asked if Marc Dillard, its acting ambassador or chargé d’affaires, could participate only in the handing-over ceremony at the closing of the summit on Sunday.
The US will take the presidency of the G20 next year and the custom is for the incumbent president to hand over to the incoming president at the summit.
When Ramaphosa was asked at the press conference whether the US had only asked for Dillard to participate in the handover ceremony, rather than the whole summit, he said new information had just emerged, but did not elaborate. He stressed that as a G20 member, the US was entitled to participate in the summit and that “an empty chair” remained at the table for it to join.
But he added that because of the “11th-hour” request from the US, the SA government had to consider the logistics and other aspects of its participation.
Ramaphosa’s spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, told Daily Maverick, “The President will not hand over to a chargé d’affaires. It’s a breach of protocol. No head of state and government anywhere in the world will do it and it won’t start here in South Africa.”
About-turn
President Donald Trump recently announced that no US official would attend the summit. The US has not been participating in the negotiations for an outcome document for the summit, which takes place on Saturday and Sunday at Nasrec, south of Johannesburg.
But on Thursday, Ramaphosa was asked, at a press conference with EU Council President Antonio Costa and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, to confirm a report on the SABC that the US government had changed its mind and had asked to participate in the G20.
“We have received notice from the United States, a notice which we are still in discussions with them over, about a change of mind, about participating in one shape, form or other in the summit,” a giggling Ramaphosa said.
“So the discussions are still ongoing. This comes really at the late hour before the summit begins, and so therefore we do need to get into those types of discussions to see how practical it is and what it primarily really means.
‘Positive sign’
“In a way, we see this as a positive sign, a very positive and political sign. As I’ve often said, boycott politics never work. It’s always best to be inside the tent than being outside of the tent.
“The tent is G20, all countries are here, and the United States, the biggest economy in the world, needs to be here. So it’s pleasing to hear that there is a change of approach, and so we are still discussing how that will manifest.”
Read more: US makes clear it will oppose a G20 Johannesburg Leaders’ Declaration
Ramaphosa was later asked if he meant, by saying that the US request had come at the eleventh hour, that SA might turn it down.
He said the US was a member of the G20 and had a right to be at the summit.
“And all we would be seeking to do is to look at the various practicalities, logistical and otherwise, for them to participate. You should know that because it’s a gathering of G20 leaders, there is a lot of logistics that go into getting the leaders to come to the venue and to participate, and how they will speak … their speaking order and all that.
“So those are matters that have not been pre-planned … so we need to understand precisely how all that will pan out.”
Accreditation request
Daily Maverick has seen the letter that the US embassy wrote to the Department of International Relations and Cooperation, requesting its chargé d’affaires participate in the ceremony at the end of the summit. It says Dillard “will participate in the G20 Presidency handover ceremony as part of the closing session on November 23”. The letter requested accreditation and other assistance for Dillard and seven support staff.
At the press conference, Daily Maverick asked Ramaphosa to clarify exactly what sort of participation the US had requested and whether it was more than just for Dillard to participate in the handover ceremony.
“There was another communication which came as we were seated here in this bilateral meeting. So we still started digesting that one,” Ramaphosa said
“It’s now seemingly moved away from the chargé just receiving the role that they must now play. That’s precisely what we are now examining.”
Anna Kelly, the deputy White House press secretary, posted “Fake News” in reply to a post about the SABC story.
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt clarifies that the United States will not participate in official talks at the G20 Summit and says President Cyril Ramaphosa was “running his mouth” with false claims. https://t.co/rvZq5gI0ax pic.twitter.com/lMr436zbww
— Ofentse Donald Davhie (@DonaldDavhie) November 20, 2025
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt later said the US position had not changed and it was not participating in talks. She said Ramaphosa was “running his mouth a little bit against the United States”. DM
This story was updated on 21 November 2025 to include Vincent Magwenya’s comments. It was also updated on 21 November 2025 to reflect the agreement reached by the G20 sherpas.