Cyril Ramaphosa Disinvited From G7 Summit After US Threatens Boycott Over South Africa’s Presence
- President Cyril Ramaphosa will no longer be attending the G7 Summit, scheduled to take place in Evian, France, in June 2026
- The Presidency confirmed that pressure from the United States resulted in the South African President being disinvited
- The tensions between South Africa and the US remain fraught, amid ongoing criticisms from President Donald Trump
Source: Getty Images
Byron Pillay, a Briefly News journalist, has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political landscape, crime, and social issues. He worked as a newspaper journalist for 10 years before transitioning to online.
GAUTENG – President Cyril Ramaphosa has been disinvited from the G7 Summit in Evian, France, later this year, after the United States threatened to boycott if South Africa attended.
The G7 Summit is scheduled to take place in the French town of Evian in June 2026. France currently holds the Presidency of G7 but was forced to withdraw its invitation to the South African President following pressure from US President Donald Trump.
The relationship between South Africa and the US remains tense as Trump continues to claim that terrible things are happening in the African country.
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US threatens to boycott G7
On Thursday, 26 March 2026, the Presidency confirmed that the US threatened to boycott the meeting if South Africa attended.
“We’ve learnt that due to sustained pressure, France has had to withdraw its invitation to South Africa to attend the G7 meeting,” Presidency Spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said.
“We are told that the Americans threatened to boycott the G7 if South Africa was invited,” he added.
Ramaphosa addresses the disinvitation
Speaking to the media on the sidelines of a visit to a housing project in the Free State, the President was questioned about France's decision to disinvite him from the G7 Summit.
President Ramaphosa said that from the information he received, the decision had nothing to do with pressure from any country.
He also stated that a disinvitation didn't mean South Africa was snubbed, adding that the country was not a member, and so if it didn't attend the event, it should not be a surprise to anyone.
France denied being presured into excluding SA
Briefly News reported that France responded to South Africa's exclusion from the upcoming G7 Summit after claims that the country was pressured by the United States.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot denied that this was the case, saying that the country chose to invite Kenya to the summit instead.
Barrot stated that France was preparing for the France-Africa summit in Nairobi in May 2026, which is why Kenya was given the nod ahead of South Africa.
US denies South African delegation accreditation to G20 Summit
Briefly News reported in December 2025 that the US denied a South African delegation accreditation to the Group of 20 (G20) Summit in Miami.
The summit will be hosted in Miami, Florida, in 2026, but the Donald Trump administration decided not to have South Africa present.
South Africa hosted the global event successfully in 2025, before handing over the presidency to the US.
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Proofreading by Kelly Lippke, copy editor at Briefly.co.za.
Source: Briefly News
