The United States warns South Africa not to issue a G20 statement at the summit.

According to reports, the United States has officially warned South Africa not to push for a joint statement at the G20 summit in Johannesburg this weekend. The Trump administration is currently boycotting the G20 summit. This diplomatic deadlock is particularly awkward because this is the first time the African continent is hosting a G20 summit, and South African President Ramaphosa is set to hand over the G20 rotating presidency to the United States at the end of this year. The tense relationship between President Trump and President Ramaphosa reached its peak during a meeting in the Oval Office in May, when Ramaphosa was criticized by Trump in front of the cameras. Trump subsequently announced that he would not attend the summit and ultimately boycott the summit altogether.