South Africa
G20 summit started – Trump’s Ukraine plan in focus
Updated 11/22/2025 – 9:37 amReading time: 1 min.
It is the most important meeting of the leading industrialized and emerging countries – but the most powerful men are missing. But the US President and his Russian colleague are actually sitting at the table.
Against the backdrop of discussions about US President Donald Trump’s Ukraine peace plan, the G20 summit began in the South African economic metropolis of Johannesburg. Trump and his government are boycotting the meeting of leading industrial and emerging countries. In addition to the US President, the heads of state of Russia and China, Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping, among others, have canceled their participation in the first G20 summit on the African continent.
Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) and Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil (SPD) are taking part for Germany. Trump is not traveling to Johannesburg because he accuses the South African government of severe repression against white farmers. South Africa rejects the allegations as unfounded.
Chancellor Merz and other heads of state and government want to meet on the sidelines of the summit for crisis talks about US plans. The Europeans were surprised by Trump’s move and, according to German government circles, are working on their own mediation paper.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj speaks of one of the “most difficult moments” in the history of Ukraine in view of Trump’s 28-point plan, which demands major concessions from Ukraine and comparatively small concessions from the aggressor Russia.
According to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s wishes as host, the summit will focus on the topics of “solidarity, equality and sustainability”. The official agenda includes, among other things, discussions about easing the debt burden of emerging and developing countries, a fair energy transition, fair and clean use of rare minerals, fair burden sharing in climate protection and food security.
