Johannesburg, 22 November 2025 (dpa/MIA) - The two-day G20 summit of leading economies opened on Saturday in Johannesburg, South Africa, overshadowed by the absence of many world leaders and the fierce debate over the US plan for peace in Ukraine.

US President Donald Trump himself, as well as the heads of state of Russia and China - Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping - are among the leaders who cancelled their participation in the first G20 summit on the African continent.

The leaders of Mexico and Argentina are likewise not attending.

Trump's administration is boycotting the talks entirely because it accuses the South African government of severe repression against white farmers. South Africa rejects the accusations as unfounded.

The summit's host, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, is focussing the summit on the themes of solidarity, equality and sustainability.

His biggest priorities include easing the debt burden of emerging and developing countries, a just energy transition, fair and clean use of rare minerals, fair burden-sharing in climate protection and food security.

On Friday, UN Secretary General António Guterres called on G20 members to "use their influence and voices to end the conflicts that are causing so much death, destruction and destabilization around the world."

Zelensky: Difficult moment in Ukraine's history

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and other heads of state and government want to meet on the sidelines of the summit for crisis talks about the 28-point US peace plan.

The Europeans were surprised by Trump's move and, according to German government circles, are working on their own mediation paper.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke of one of the "most difficult moments" in his country's history in view of the US plan, which demands major concessions from Ukraine and comparatively minor concessions from Russia, despite it having initiated the war in 2022. 

Photo: EPA