South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has expressed his government’s desire to reach a comprehensive agreement with the United States on trade, diplomacy, and other key issues following recent tensions with former U.S. President Donald Trump.
Speaking at a Goldman Sachs event on the sidelines of G20 meetings in South Africa, Ramaphosa announced plans to send a delegation to Washington to negotiate solutions rather than offer explanations.
“We don’t want to go and explain ourselves; we want to go and do a meaningful deal with the United States on a whole range of issues,” he stated.
Relations between the two nations soured earlier this month after Trump accused the South African government of “confiscating” land from white farmers. His remarks referred to a recently signed bill allowing the government to expropriate land without compensation under certain conditions to address historical inequalities in land ownership.
Despite a promising early conversation with Trump after his inauguration, Ramaphosa acknowledged that ties between Pretoria and Washington later “seemed to go a little bit off the rails.”
Adding to the diplomatic strain, the U.S. secretaries of state and finance opted out of attending the recent G20 ministerial meetings in South Africa.
With the U.S. as South Africa’s second-largest trading partner and set to assume the G20 presidency next year, Ramaphosa stressed the necessity of securing a deal.
“It’s inevitable that we will get together and do a deal,” he affirmed.
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