UK PM STARMER ARRIVES IN SOUTH AFRICA FOR G20 — Leader focuses on global security, trade, and climate cooperation
Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer touched down in Johannesburg, ahead of the G20 summit, where he will engage in two days of discussions and bilateral talks focusing on sustainability and economic growth.
Starmer has defended his decision to attend the summit despite it being just days before the UK budget, along with the U.S.’s planned absence. He aims to secure investment to help deal with the cost of living and shore up support for Ukraine.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration had said it would not attend the first G20 summit in Africa.
Analysts see a U.S. absence as an opportunity for South Africa to build closer ties to the European Union and China, its two largest trading partners.
While it seems increasingly unlikely that the meeting will culminate in a substantive declaration, the first G20 in Africa is a showcase for a continent that has fast-growing economies and vast mineral wealth.
