US President Donald Trump announced in early November that the country would not participate in the G20 meeting, which is being held in Johannesburg this weekend, and justified his decision with the unfounded claim that massacres against white farmers are taking place in South Africa.
Ramaphosa now states that the United States has announced that the country wants to participate "in some form."
"We have received a message from the United States, a message that we are still discussing with them, that they have changed their mind about participating in any form in the summit," Ramaphosa said.
He further says that the United States, as the world's largest economy, "has to be here."
It is therefore gratifying to hear that there has been a change in attitude, and we are still discussing how that will manifest itself, says Ramaphosa.
However, after Ramaphosa's statement, White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt says that this is not the case.
The US is not participating in official talks at the G20 in South Africa, she says at a press conference.
