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Trump Pressure Forces France to Withdraw South Africa’s G7 Invitation, Pretoria Says
South African officials reveal US pressure, led by President Donald Trump, caused France to rescind Cyril Ramaphosa’s G7 invitation, while Pretoria vows continued engagement with both countries.
France has reportedly rescinded its invitation to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa for the G7 summit in Evian this June, following months of pressure from US President Donald Trump, according to South African officials.
Vincent Magwenya, Ramaphosa’s spokesperson, told AFP, “We’ve learnt that due to sustained pressure, France has had to withdraw its invitation to South Africa to attend the G7 meeting. We are told that the Americans threatened to boycott the G7 if South Africa was invited.”
Trump’s confrontations with South Africa have spanned trade, race relations, and international diplomacy. He imposed 30-percent tariffs last year on most South African exports—the highest in sub-Saharan Africa—though the policy was later overturned by the US Supreme Court. He also criticized South Africa’s racial justice policies as discriminatory against whites and boycotted the November G20 summit in Johannesburg.
Tensions have further escalated over South Africa’s legal action against US ally Israel at the International Court of Justice over alleged genocide in Gaza.
French President Emmanuel Macron had previously invited Ramaphosa to the G7 during the G20 summit in South Africa, an invitation that was later withdrawn under US pressure. Pretoria stressed that this development “will have no impact on the strength and close nature of our bilateral relationship with France.”
Magwenya added, “Notwithstanding all of these developments, South Africa remains committed to engage constructively with the US. The diplomatic relationship between USA and South Africa predate the Trump administration and they will outlive the current White House term of office.”
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