Rubio says will skip G20 in South Africa due to country's policies

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that he will not attend a G20 summit this month in Johannesburg, South Africa, citing concerns over the country's policies.

Rubio's statement came on Wednesday, days after US President Donald Trump threatened to cut foreign aid to South Africa over allegations of land confiscation and the mistreatment of "certain classes of people."

"South Africa is doing very bad things. Expropriating private property. Using G20 to promote 'solidarity, equality, & sustainability.' In other words: DEI and climate change," he said, referring to South Africa's diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.

"My job is to advance America's national interests, not waste taxpayer money or coddle anti-Americanism," he added, explaining his decision to skip the event.

The G20 foreign ministers will meet in Johannesburg from February 20-21.

Disinformation

Earlier this week, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa rejected Trump's assertions that South Africa was "confiscating" land and said he was ready to explain his government's land reform policy to his US counterpart.

On Tuesday, Ramaphosa spoke with top Trump ally Elon Musk to raise concerns about "disinformation" being spread by the US president.

Land ownership is a contentious issue in South Africa, with most farmland still owned by white people three decades after the end of apartheid. The government is under pressure to implement reforms.

The absence of the United States, the world's largest economy, would mark a major blow to the G20, which is meant to represent the world's largest economies.

The meeting could have offered a first opportunity for Rubio to meet his Russian counterpart, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, as Trump pushes for diplomacy on the Ukraine war.