NAIROBI, Mar 27 – France has confirmed that South Africa will not attend the Group of Seven leaders’ summit in Evian-les-Bains in June, with Kenya selected as the African nation to join the gathering alongside India, South Korea and Brazil
South Africa, a regular guest at past G7 summits, said the French embassy in Pretoria informed its government about two weeks ago that the invitation would not stand, with the explanation that the United States had threatened not to attend if South Africa were present
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said France had “not yielded to any pressure” and had opted for a “streamlined G7,” inviting Kenya instead to help prepare France’s major Africa summit in Nairobi in May.
A White House official supported that account, saying the decision to extend the invitation to Kenya was reached collectively among G7 members in January, after France expressed its desire to include an African nation. “The United States welcomes Kenya’s participation,” the official said
Presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya confirmed that Pretoria had accepted the decision. “We are told that the Americans threatened to boycott the G7 if South Africa was invited,” Magwenya said, though President Cyril Ramaphosa later indicated that according to his own information, “no pressure from any country” had been applied.
South Africa’s non-aligned foreign policy including its genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice has strained its relationship with Washington.
Relations between Pretoria and the Trump administration have deteriorated sharply, with the United States cutting aid to South Africa and excluding the country from G20 meetings this year
The United States holds the G20 presidency in 2026, succeeding South Africa, which chaired the forum the previous year
