The European Union offered its ‘full support’ to South Africa's leaders within the Group of 20 on Monday, following the African nation's spat with US President Donald Trump.
Trump froze US aid to South Africa last week, citing a South African law which, he claimed, allowed the seizure of white farmers' land, despite Johannesburg's denials.
One of Trump's allies is South African-born billionaire Elon Musk, who has accused the government of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa of having racist property laws.
South Africa will host the G20 foreign ministers' talks in Johannesburg on 20 and 21 February. However, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has announced that he will not attend the talks, accusing the host government of having an ‘anti-American’ agenda.
The President of the European Council, Antonio Costa, spoke to the South African Head of State by telephone and pledged the EU's support for South Africa ahead of the G20 meeting.
“On my phone call with President Cyril Ramaphosa, I highlighted the EU’s commitment to deepen ties with South Africa, as a reliable and predictable partner,” Mr. Costa posted on X.
“I expressed the EU’s full support to South Africa’s leadership of G20 and its ambition to strengthen multilateral cooperation and the Pact for the Future to address the most pressing global issues,” he added.
There will be a meeting between the European Union and South Africa on March 13, the EU Council President said.
The G20 is an intergovernmental forum comprising 19 sovereign countries, the EU and the African Union, that seeks to address issues related to the global economy.
