South Africa's G20 presidency this year will prioritise efforts to help developing countries finance their shift to a low-carbon economy, President Cyril Ramaphosa said, even as the United States radically scales back its support.

Foreign ministers and senior diplomats from leading rich and developing countries focused on global conflicts, including the Russia-Ukraine war, on the last day of their meeting in South Africa.

China came out in support of U.S. President Donald Trump's bid to strike a deal with Russia to end the war in Ukraine, at a G20 meeting in South Africa on Thursday, while U.S. allies rallied around Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

February 26, 2025. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa kicked off a gathering of the Group of 20 top economi

In his own speech before the foreign ministers meeting, U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy criticized Russia for what he called “Tsarist imperialism.”

British Foreign Minister David Lammy said on Thursday he saw no appetite from Russia for peace with Ukraine after listening to his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov talk at a closed-door meeting of the top G20 diplomats in South Africa.

South Africa's rand strengthened against a weaker dollar on Thursday, as investors digested U.S. data and President Donald Trump's tariff plans.

U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy said he saw no appetite for peace from Russia in Ukraine after listening to a speech by Russia's top diplomat at a tense Group of 20 meeting in South Africa on Thursday.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has arrived in South Africa for a two-day meeting of the Group of 20 nations, where top European diplomats are expected to reinforce their support for Ukraine

Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda said on Thursday he met Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba for a regular exchange of views on the economy and financial markets.

South Africa sought to salvage international talks on tackling global poverty on Wednesday as finance chiefs of several leading economies skipped a gathering of Group of 20 nations in Cape Town held against a backdrop of foreign aid cuts.