G20 Foreign Ministers Meet in South Africa as the Ukraine and Geopolitical Divisions Tensions Rise

Foreign ministers of the world’s top 20 economies met in Johannesburg, South Africa, amid rising tensions on the world stage. The meeting, the first major G20 meeting this year, is a response to issues of global concern such as the war in Ukraine, climate change, and global law. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, the current president of the G20, is concerned with the increasing tensions between the world’s great powers, cautioning that these battles could erode global cooperation.

Interestingly, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was not in attendance at the meeting due to variations in the group’s agenda on diversity and inclusion. U.S. President Donald Trump has also pulled aid from South Africa due to disputes over racial injustices and a court case against Israel.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov did turn up at the summit, together with EU representatives who remain supporting Ukraine’s battle with Russia. There has been a strained relationship ever since Trump’s return to office in Washington and its leaders’ concerns about his style in handling Russia. Even Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been speaking against any accord signed without representation for Ukraine.

Ramaphosa called for unity, requesting all nations to seek diplomatic resolutions of international disputes, such as in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, and Gaza.