G20/G7 summit jockeying
The US is actively lining up leaders for the 2026 G20 it will host in Florida — India says it “looks forward to participating” and Uzbekistan has received a formal invite, signaling Washington’s broad outreach to reshape summit dynamics. — Meanwhile the G7 lineup is in flux: France denies US pressure after South Africa’s disinvitation, Pretoria is pushing for a diplomatic reset and South African business leaders urge caution against tit‑for‑tat retaliation. (ianslive.in) (caliber.az) (cnbcafrica.com) (timeslive.co.za) (ewn.co.za)
President Trump personally invited Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to both the next Peace Council meeting and the U.S.-hosted G20 in Miami, according to Uzbekistan’s presidential press service and regional reports. (kun.uz) India’s Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said New Delhi “looks forward to participating” in the U.S. G20, which the United States assumed chairmanship of in December 2025 and has scheduled the leaders’ summit for December 14–15, 2026 in Miami. (ommcomnews.com) The outreach follows earlier disclosures that President Trump had invited the leaders of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan as guest countries to the Miami G20, underscoring a pattern of Central Asian engagement by Washington ahead of the summit. (bloomberg.com) Pretoria told AFP it was told Washington had urged France to withdraw an invitation to President Cyril Ramaphosa to attend the June G7 meeting in France, a claim that South Africa’s presidential office made public on March 26, 2026. (iol.co.za) French officials have publicly denied yielding to U.S. pressure, saying France remains “in close contact” with South Africa and noting that Kenya has been listed among invitees to the G7 session in June. (rfi.fr) The South African Presidency said a “process to reset” relations with the United States is ongoing, while local business leaders — including Black Business Council CEO Kganki Matabane — warned on March 28, 2026 that playing tit‑for‑tat with the U.S. would be counterproductive. (ewn.co.za)
