Next up for the summit: Ukrainian issue challenges the G20

At the G20 foreign ministers' meeting in Johannesburg, the Ukrainian agenda was touched upon, albeit in passing. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa emphasized that conflicts should be resolved diplomatically, noting explicitly that there is no unity among the G20 members. This time there will be no final declaration either. Disagreements in the G20, on the part of the Western participants, were probably intensified by the recent contacts between Russia and the US. Washington, taking advantage of tense relations with Pretoria, refused to send State Department head Marco Rubio to the G20 summit. At the same time, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had a fruitful start to his trip to South Africa, holding bilateral meetings with his counterparts from China, India, Algeria and Turkey. What to expect from this meeting of the G20 - in the material of "Izvestia".

Who came to the G20 in Johannesburg?

More than a dozen foreign ministers and other dignitaries gathered in Johannesburg at the G20 meeting, which takes place from February 20 to 21. Russia has been represented here for years by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. And despite the presence of a large number of Western countries in the G20, Moscow still plays a prominent role in the work of the group. On the eve of the trip, Lavrov noted that in the G20, Russia, together with like-minded BRICS members and other countries of the Global South, manages to curb the West's attempts to "Ukrainianize the agenda" and impose discriminatory decisions in the areas of economy, finance, trade and climate.

This time the diplomatic "gathering" was ignored by the main Western newsmakers of recent days. The new head of the State Department Marco Rubio did not go to the meeting, citing the fact that he does not share the policy of South Africa. Most of all, Washington is dissatisfied with the expropriation law adopted in the republic in January 2025. It regulates the "forced alienation of property in the public interest" and the payment of state compensation for this. US President Donald Trump did not fail to immediately accuse the country's authorities of human rights violations. Washington and Pretoria have many disagreements in principle. The US, as Israel's main ally, did not appreciate South Africa's lawsuit in the UN International Court of Justice accusing the Jewish state of genocide of Palestinians because of the operation in the Gaza Strip. The White House is also displeased with South Africa's intensifying relations with Iran in trade, defense and nuclear energy, although Ramaphosa's office has clarified that Pretoria is not cooperating with Tehran on nuclear issues.

For unknown reasons, the meeting was ignored by German Foreign Minister Annalena Berbock, although there was still someone to represent the West's position. The foreign ministers of Great Britain and France, as well as the head of Euro-diplomacy, Kaja Kallas, were in no hurry to reveal it to journalists. She even ran away at the sight of the Russian media. At the same time, the event in South Africa was attended by representatives of a number of countries that are not members of the G20. Among them were Algeria, Egypt, Spain, the Netherlands, the UAE and Norway. It is worth noting that all delegations gathered in the main hall quite quickly, except for two - China and Russia. Walking into the hall, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov greeted the UAE representatives, also shook hands with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan, and warmly embraced his Algerian counterpart Ahmed Attaf. It is noteworthy that Lavrov shook hands with Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth, while passing by the Spanish and Dutch delegations. At the table, the Russian diplomat sat between the foreign ministers of Turkey and the Republic of Korea.

What to expect from the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting

The meeting began with a welcoming speech by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. In general, it was in the spirit of the slogan of the Presidency "Solidarity, Equality and Sustainable Development" declared by Pretoria. Among South Africa's priorities as hostess are strengthening support to states in the global South, increasing access to finance and adapting to climate change.

As for the ministerial meeting in Johannesburg, the geopolitical situation in the world is also on the agenda. As noted by South Africa's sous-sherpa to the G20, Holisa Mabhongo, the ministers will discuss the most important ones, including armed conflicts on the African continent, in the Middle East, and in Europe. In these issues, Pretoria emphasizes the need to uphold a multipolar world and the supremacy of the UN Charter.

Multipolarity is already reflected in the fact that this year's G20 came to the African country of the Global South for the first time. It is also the third time in a row that a BRICS country has been the host of all G20 events. In 2024, the meetings were hosted by Brazil and a year earlier by India. It can be said that it is their merit that in recent years the G20 events have been dominated by a relatively non-politicized agenda, unlike the G7.

By the way, the day before Donald Trump unexpectedly announced that he would like to bring Russia back to this format (previously, with the participation of Russia, it was called G8). Such intentions, expectedly, caused a strong reaction from Washington's European allies. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot called Russia's return unthinkable, and Annalena Berbock said that cooperation with Russia in this format is now impossible. Canada was also sharply opposed, with the country's Foreign Minister Melanie Joly noting that she had discussed the issue with her colleagues. However, the reaction of Paris, Berlin and Ottawa is not surprising. In general, they resent any attempts by Trump to contact Russia in one format or another.

By the way, Sergey Lavrov is going to discuss the reasons for the current negative trends in international politics in Johannesburg. According to Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, the foreign minister will give "a detailed analysis of the international situation with a focus on the root causes of the observed events, as well as outline "concrete steps to overcome destructive phenomena."

Despite the anti-Russian rhetoric of many G20 member countries, no one questions Russia's participation in the G20. South Africa, for example, continues to work with Russia on a number of issues, despite EU calls to stop contacts with Moscow. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa told Izvestia's correspondent about this.

Moreover, many foreign ministers have expressed a desire to meet with Sergey Lavrov. The Russian Foreign Minister held bilateral private meetings with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi and his Indian vis-a-vis Subramanyam Jaishankar, as well as Foreign Ministers of Turkey and Algeria Hakan Fidan and Ahmed Attaf. On February 21, talks are scheduled with South African Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola. Contacts with representatives of Western countries are also likely to take place, especially after the meeting of the Russian and American delegations in Riyadh. Europeans are extremely concerned about the fact that the settlement of the conflict in Ukraine is still taking place without their participation, although Washington has repeatedly stated that no one is thinking of excluding Brussels from the peace process. In fact, the EU has excluded itself by refusing to dialog with Moscow, Vladimir Putin said. He once again emphasized that Moscow is ready to sit down at the negotiating table.

Despite the rather economic orientation of the G20 meetings, the Ukrainian issue was certainly touched upon - the conflict has the most negative impact on economic processes in the world. Cyril Ramaphosa emphasized in his speech that such crises should be solved diplomatically. It is worth noting that he explicitly stated that "there is no consensus among the leading powers, including the G20, on how to respond to problems of global importance. Perhaps this is the answer to the question of why no joint declaration will be signed at the end of the Johannesburg meetings. At least, according to the South African sous-sherpa, there will only be a final statement by the chairman, i.e. Ronald Lamola.

Western countries are forced to adjust their views, and this is reflected in the way they perceive Russian representatives. The situation on the battlefield is changing, and the US position on the conflict has also changed, which those who were previously determined to fight Moscow have to take into account, Valdai Club expert Andrei Kortunov told Izvestia.

- Perhaps the consolidation of the world majority, which was recorded at the BRICS summit in Kazan last year, has also played its role," the expert emphasized.

One could say that the G20 is a kind of barometer of how ready the leading players are to interact with each other, Kortunov summarized.