The G20 leaders’ summit in South Africa opened with a dramatic show of unity as host President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the adoption of a declaration on multilateralism and inequality, despite U.S. pressure to block it.

Declaring “We will not be bullied,” Ramaphosa secured unanimous support from 18 attending nations, marking the first time the bloc has issued an early declaration at the start of a summit.

Argentina abstained in solidarity with U.S. President Donald Trump, who boycotted the meeting over a diplomatic spat and sent Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno in his place. Ramaphosa hailed the declaration as proof that “multilateralism can deliver,” pledging that no person, community, or country would be left behind. The agenda focuses on climate change, global inequality, and debt relief, with South Africa pressing for reforms to the IMF and World Bank.

The summit comes amid tensions over Trump’s controversial Ukraine peace plan, which demands territorial concessions to Russia and military caps for Kyiv. While the plan risks fracturing consensus, Ramaphosa emphasized the importance of collective agreement.

Meanwhile, Russia’s delegation, led by deputy chief Maxim Oreshkin in the absence of President Vladimir Putin (wanted by the ICC for child deportations), denounced Western sanctions and aid to Ukraine as “illegitimate.” Oreshkin argued that post-2022 asset seizures were unilateral actions undermining the global order and claimed the World Bank had given Kyiv more in three years than all of Africa combined, much of it allegedly recycled through corruption schemes. He accused international institutions of shifting from development priorities to military expenditures that benefit donor economies.

Putin’s absence underscored the summit’s tensions, as the G20 grapples with the fallout of the war in Ukraine. Russia welcomed Trump’s proposed deal, but European leaders rejected it as rewarding aggression, highlighting deep divisions within the bloc.