The expected meeting between South Africa’s Ramaphosa and President Trump had generated significant interest given recent tensions over U.S. foreign policy shifts and South Africa’s positioning on key global issues, including BRICS realignment, trade negotiations, and the handling of international conflicts.
According to senior diplomatic sources, President Cyril Ramaphosa’s outreach to U.S. officials, including the prospect of informal engagement with President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the G7 Summit, was part of a broader strategy to reaffirm South Africa’s commitment to multilateralism while preserving its foreign policy independence.
However, the South African Presidency later clarified that a formal, dedicated bilateral meeting had not been scheduled, though an opportunity for informal interaction had been anticipated.
The meeting, which was highly anticipated followed a tense exchange between the two leaders during a visit to Washington months earlier, where both sides clashed over allegations of racial discrimination against white farmers in South Africa.
The missed encounter comes at a time when both countries are navigating sensitive geopolitical ground, and the failure to hold bilateral talks may be viewed as a diplomatic setback for Pretoria.
Ramaphosa moves to ease US-SA diplomatic tensions
As the current chair of the G20 and the only African nation invited to this year’s G7 Summit Outreach Session, South Africa seized the opportunity to engage with Heads of State and Government from G7 countries many of whom are also G20 members, as well as other invited Outreach nations.
According to a statement from the South African government, “The President will use this platform as an opportunity to engage with various leaders on areas of common interest in bilateral relations and multilateral cooperation – including the G20 Presidency ahead of the G20 Leaders’ Summit in November 2025.
The meeting failed to hold after President Trump departed the G7 summit in Kananaskis, Canada, ahead of schedule, returning to Washington to manage escalating tensions between Israel and Iran. According to the White House, the president prioritized national security briefings as the Middle East crisis worsened.
Although the highly anticipated Trump-Ramaphosa meeting ultimately did not take place, the effort itself was widely viewed as a gesture of goodwill, underscoring Pretoria’s interest in maintaining its long-standing strategic and economic ties with Washington.
The 2025 G7 meeting
Leaders of some of the world’s largest economic powers gathered in the Canadian Rockies on Sunday for the Group of Seven (G7) summit, which was overshadowed by the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran, as well as U.S. President Donald Trump’s ongoing trade war.
The G7 brings together leaders from the world’s most advanced economies — the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, and Japan — who meet annually to coordinate policies on global economic stability, security, sustainable development, and pressing geopolitical challenges.
In addition to the core G7 members, several non-G7 nations were invited to participate in this year’s summit by host Prime Minister Mark Carney. These include the heads of state from India, Ukraine, Brazil, South Africa, South Korea, Australia, Mexico, and the United Arab Emirates.
Key agenda items for this year’s summit include the growing trade tensions sparked by President Trump’s tariffs, the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, and the fast-escalating crisis between Israel and Iran.
