Overview
- South Africa alleges the United States pressed France to pull Cyril Ramaphosa’s G7 invitation and even threatened a boycott if he attended, and says it will not take part.
- A French presidential adviser confirmed Ramaphosa was not invited and said guest choices reflect agenda priorities and logistics rather than a bid to please President Donald Trump.
- France invited Kenya as a partner country, positioning work around a planned France–Kenya summit in May.
- Neither the White House nor the Élysée responded to questions about Pretoria’s claim, and the French adviser said Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy was not invited this year.
- Ties between Washington and Pretoria have soured over the past year through U.S. tariffs on South African exports, Trump’s attacks tied to debunked “white genocide” claims, and South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice.