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.

The meeting will focus on Gaza and Ukraine but countries from the Global South want to confront reform, climate change and economic fairness. US FM Marco Rubio is boycotting over South Africa's "anti-American" policies.

The G20 countries, which represent some 85% of global GDP and three quarters of trade, often struggle to see eye to eye, but geopolitical rifts since Russia's 2022 Ukraine invasion have rendered it more fractious than ever.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will skip next week's meeting of finance ministers and central bankers from the Group of 20 countries in Cape Town, South Africa, the New York Times reported on Wednesday,

South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa has told G20 foreign ministers that a commitment to multilateralism and international law is vital to solving global crises. His comments follow growing concern about the Trump's administration's "America First" policy,