Hope was fading. The talks were difficult, an uphill battle. But the door was ajar. The South African government never gave up hope, even though the first G20 summit held in Africa ended, for the first time, without a joint declaration. The US boycott, which sent no representative, coupled with the absences of leaders like Xi Jinping (China) and Vladimir Putin (Russia), who did send delegations, shook the summit. But in the end, in a last-minute twist, the attendees signed a consensus declaration that, among other points, warns against the use of force to annex territories of other countries.

“The adoption of the summit declaration sends an important signal to the world that multilateralism can and does deliver results,” said South African President Cyril Ramaphosa at the opening of the G20. “We thank all the delegations that have worked with us in good faith to produce a G20 outcome document worthy of this historic meeting of leaders. It sends a message of hope and solidarity. It tells the world that, as G20 leaders, we will fulfill our solemn commitment to leave no person, community, or country behind.”

The declaration consists of 30 pages and 122 points. The spokesperson for the South African president, Vincent Magwenya, explained while the leaders addressed the plenary session that it was"a unanimous adoption of the declaration by all the countries present," a fact he wished to "emphasize." In this regard, the representative of Argentina, Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno (President Javier Milei was not present), expressed reservations about two points of the declaration, arguing that it should reflect the lack of consensus given the absence of the United States and that they wanted to refer to the"conflict in the Middle East" and not to "occupied Palestinian territories."

Point seven of the declaration speaks of "working for a just, comprehensive and lasting peace in Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, the occupied Palestinian territories, Ukraine, as well as for ending other conflicts and wars around the world."

Indeed, the US did not attend the summit, but Russia was represented by Vladimir Putin's advisor, Maxim Oreshkin. Diplomatic sources indicate that the declaration was approved by Russia and Saudi Arabia.

Point five of the declaration refers to the Charter of the United Nations and warns against the use of"the threat" or "force to achieve territorial conquests to the detriment of the territorial integrity and sovereignty or political independence of any State." It adds that States "should develop friendly relations among nations, inter alia by promoting and encouraging respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language or religion."

This point is adopted amidst the controversy surrounding the peace plan for Ukraine promoted by Donald Trump, which contains 28 points, including a series of proposals that represent red lines drawn by Zelensky. These include Ukraine ceding western regions of the country to Russia, including areas that have not yet been invaded by Kremlin forces, and reducing the Ukrainian army to a maximum of 600,000 troops. The text has been rejected by the Ukrainian president and Zelensky's allies, who are currently meeting on the occasion of the G20 summit to promote an alternative.

Specifically, point 21 of that peace plan, sponsored by the White House and backed by Russia, stipulates that Crimea, Luhansk, and Donetsk will be recognized de facto as Russian, even by the United States. Kherson and Zaporizhzhia will be frozen at the line of contact, which implies de facto recognition of that line. Russia will relinquish other agreed territories it controls outside the five regions. Ukrainian forces will withdraw from the part of Donetsk Oblast they currently control, which will then be used to create a buffer zone.

Moreover, point 22 states that once these annexations are established, neither Russia nor Ukraine could reverse the situation"by force".

Specifically, within the framework of the G20, the President of the European Council, Antonio Costa, convened a meeting of Zelensky's allies present at the event, which was attended by Pedro Sánchez, and lasted for an hour, to discuss the peace plan for Ukraine proposed by Trump.

Rare earths

Another point with significant implications in the G20 declaration is number 33, which refers to critical minerals."We support increased exploration of critical minerals, especially in developing countries; the promotion of diversification of mineral sources, routes, markets, processing sites and value chains."

And it adds this point: "We seek to ensure that the value chain for critical minerals can better withstand disruptions, whether due to geopolitical tensions, unilateral trade measures inconsistent with WTO rules, pandemics or natural disasters, and that more producing countries can participate in and benefit from the value chains."

In May, the United States and Ukraine reached an agreement that allowed Washington to have a significant financial stake in the European country's mining production and privileged access to its coveted rare minerals.

Kyiv, pressured to the highest level (or rather, blackmailed, as European governments lament), accepted without obtaining the security guarantees it craved in exchange for handing over its resources, having to settle for the idea, defended at all times by the White House, that a business presence in the country will be the best deterrent against Russia.