France has withdrawn its invitation to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa to attend this year’s Group of Seven (G7) summit, according to the South African presidency, which blamed pressure from the United States.
The summit, scheduled to be held in Evian in June, is hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron. Although South Africa is not a G7 member, it had been invited as an observer during last year’s G20 summit in Johannesburg.
Presidential spokesman Vincent Magwenya said Pretoria was informed that the invitation was rescinded following sustained pressure from Washington, including a reported threat to boycott the summit.
“The invitation was withdrawn by the French government due to sustained pressure from the US. That’s the communication we received from the French government,” Magwenya said.
However, an official in Macron’s office denied the claim, saying South Africa was not dropped under pressure but rather not invited, as Kenya would attend instead. The official added that India, South Korea and Brazil were also invited.
According to the Financial Times, a US official said G7 members collectively agreed that Kenya should represent Africa at the summit, a position the United States supports.
Tensions between South Africa and the US have escalated since Donald Trump began his second term as president. Earlier in 2025, Trump made widely disputed claims of a “white genocide” in South Africa, alleging targeted killings of white farmers — accusations rejected by Pretoria and independent observers.
Relations have also been strained by South Africa’s support for Palestine and its case against Israel at the International Court of Justice over the war in Gaza.