Russia bats for South Africa over exclusion from G20

Russia has challenged the United States over its decision to exclude South Africa from this year’s G20 meetings, arguing that Washington does not have the authority to unilaterally shut an existing member out of the grouping.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov raised the issue during his engagements around the United Nations General Assembly in New York, as diplomatic tensions surrounding South Africa’s exclusion continued to grow.

The dispute comes after US President Donald Trump invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to attend the G20 summit in Miami in December.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed the invitation after meeting Lavrov on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, saying the summit would provide Putin with an opportunity to engage with Trump and other world leaders.

The invitation has added a new dimension to the controversy over South Africa’s exclusion.

Russia backs South Africa

Lavrov has argued that the United States, as G20 host, does not have the power to decide which existing members may participate.

The Russian position is that a summit invitation is effectively notification to an existing member about when and where the meeting will take place, rather than a discretionary invitation that allows the host to select which members are permitted to attend.

Russia has previously criticised Washington’s decision to exclude South Africa, with Lavrov describing the move as unacceptable and saying Moscow would raise the issue through its BRICS contacts and within the G20.

South Africa remains a full member of the G20.

International Relations Minister Ronald Lamola has repeatedly said Pretoria considers itself entitled to participate as a founding member, while also making clear that South Africa will not attend the US-hosted meetings without an invitation.

“We are a founding member of the G20 and by right, we have to be there,” Lamola said during a Council on Foreign Relations discussion in New York.

Lamola has also ruled out South Africa attempting to attend without an invitation or encouraging other G20 members to boycott the meetings.

WATCH | International Relations Minister Ronald Lamola says South Africa is disappointed at the prospect of not attending the G20 Summit in the United States. He says South Africa remains ready to participate should an invitation be extended. pic.twitter.com/FodeuyTWfh

— SABC News (@SABCNews) September 23, 2026

G20 tensions deepen

The dispute has intensified an already strained relationship between Pretoria and Washington.

Lamola has expressed disappointment that other G20 members have not spoken out more forcefully over South Africa’s exclusion. He said Pretoria remains ready to participate should Washington change its position.

The United States is hosting the 2026 G20 summit in Miami, scheduled for December.

Trump’s decision to invite Putin has also drawn attention because the Russian president remains subject to an International Criminal Court arrest warrant issued in 2023 over alleged war crimes relating to the deportation of Ukrainian children. The United States is not a member of the ICC.

For Pretoria, the central issue remains its status as a full G20 member.

For Moscow, the dispute has become another example of the broader tensions surrounding the organisation and the authority of the rotating host country.