The American president has announced that the United States will not participate in the G20 summit in Johannesburg, irritating the government in Pretoria. At the root of the crisis, the White House’s strategy to disarticulate the Brics emerges
They’re back tensions between Donald Trump and South Africa. The American president announced that the United States will not participate in the G20 summit in Johannesburg.
Trump, on Truth, defined the holding of the summit in South Africa as “an absolute disgrace”, accusing the country of violations of human rights towards the Afrikaner — descendants of Dutch, French and German settlers — whose lands and farms would be illegally confiscated.
The head of the White House added that “no American officials will attend as long as these violations continue”, also anticipating the will of host the 2026 G20 in MiamiFlorida.
Pretoria’s reply
The South African Foreign Ministry he responded harshly, denying the version provided by Washington. According to the official note, the description of Afrikaners as an “exclusively white group” is historically incorrect and accusations of persecution”are not supported by the facts”.
From the White House to the hard line against Pretoria
It is not the first time that Trump, after his return to the White House, takes a hard line against South Africa.
In February he had already signed a executive order which blocked the sending of aid to the country, accusing Pretoria of expropriations against white farmers. The decree also highlighted the “aggressive” positions of the South African government towards the United States and its allies, as well as the strengthening relations with Iran to develop trade, military and nuclear agreements.
Already in May, during the president’s visit Cyril Ramaphosa at the White House, Trump showed a video denouncing the alleged persecution of white farmers.
The geopolitical knot and the clash over the Brics
The crisis must be read in key geopolitics.
The Biden administration had already expressed concern about the South Africa’s proximity to Russia. Trump has repeatedly accused i Brics – of which Pretoria is part – to pursue one de-dollarization strategy.
In recent months, Washington has increased the economic pressure on different block members:
- Brazil, India And China they have undergone new tariff policies;
- one was signed with Beijing annual trucebut duties remain at 47%;
- furthermore, the US Treasury Department imposed sanctions on Russian companies Lukoil and Rosneftalso creating problems for countries that import Russian oil.
Objective: to weaken the Brics bloc
The tension between Washington and Pretoria falls into one broader strategy from Trump:
disarticulate the Brics blocreduce the economic influence of Chinapush the Russia to negotiate on the Ukrainian dossier e preserve the international dominance of the dollar.
