Washington: A representative from the US Embassy in South Africa will attend the formal handover ceremony at the close of this weekend’s Group of 20 summit in Johannesburg, though Washington will not join any discussions, a White House official said on Thursday.

The clarification came after South African President Cyril Ramaphosa suggested earlier that the United States had changed its stance “at the 11th hour” and would participate in the summit it had planned to boycott.

US President Donald Trump had announced earlier this month that no American officials would attend the two-day meeting, citing South Africa’s alleged persecution of its white Afrikaner minority as the reason for the boycott. The US is scheduled to assume the rotating presidency of the G20 from South Africa, with the handover ceremony traditionally marking the end of each summit.

Ramaphosa had earlier expressed disappointment at the prospect of handing over to an “empty chair,” but on Thursday welcomed Washington’s limited attendance, calling it “a pleasing change of approach” from the world’s largest economy. He reiterated that as an original G20 member, the US “has the right to be here” and said discussions were underway to manage its participation.

Addressing the boycott earlier in the day, Ramaphosa said the summit would adopt a joint declaration despite US efforts to block one. According to South African officials, Washington had urged that no declaration be issued in its absence, instead proposing a brief closing statement by the host country.

“The talks are going extremely well,” Ramaphosa told reporters. “I’m confident we are moving towards a declaration... We will not be bullied.”

Trump has maintained a critical stance toward South Africa since returning to office, accusing Ramaphosa’s government of anti-white policies, a charge Pretoria strongly denies.

The G20, comprising 19 major economies along with the European Union and African Union, is meeting in Africa for the first time under South Africa’s presidency. Pretoria has sought to focus the agenda on climate resilience, debt relief, and reducing global inequality, priorities Washington has previously dismissed.

While several leaders, including China’s Xi Jinping, Russia’s Vladimir Putin, and Argentina’s Javier Milei, will skip the summit, all have sent delegations. “The only country that is not in the room is the United States, and that is their choice,” South African G20 ambassador Xolisa Mabhongo told national broadcaster SABC this week.

With inputs from AP