• South Africa claims it was disinvited from the G7 at the US's behest.
• French officials state that the decision was to invite Kenya, not due to US pressure.
• President Ramaphosa downplays the significance of not attending the G7.
• Relations between South Africa and the US have soured since Trump's presidency.
• The South African presidency insists on maintaining strong ties with France despite the incident.

The South African presidency has accused the United States of pressuring France to withdraw President Cyril Ramaphosa's invitation to the upcoming G7 summit scheduled for June in Évian. Vincent Magwenya, the spokesperson for the president, indicated that as a result of sustained US pressure, France rescinded the invitation, stating, "We are told that the Americans threatened to boycott the G7 if South Africa was invited," according to Le Monde and BBC.

In contrast, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot denied that France yielded to any pressure from the US, emphasizing that Kenya was invited instead of South Africa to maintain a focused and streamlined G7 addressing geo-economic issues. Barrot asserted, "We did not give in to any pressure" and highlighted the importance of South Africa in international relations, stating that France "has always counted on South Africa," as noted by Africa News and Le Monde.

President Ramaphosa has attempted to downplay the significance of the situation, noting that many nations are not invited to G7 summits and that South Africa's non-attendance should not be surprising. He remarked that the invitation to the G7 does not imply being snubbed, highlighting the context of South Africa's historical involvement with the summit, as reported by BBC and Le Monde.

Overall, tensions have escalated between the US and South Africa in recent years, particularly during Trump's administration, which has seen accusations against Ramaphosa's government regarding issues like land reform and racial justice policies. The situation has been compounded by high tariffs imposed by the US on South African exports, the highest for any African nation, and recent diplomatic incidents involving the new US ambassador, Brent Bozell, who faced criticism for his comments on South Africa's racial policies, as detailed by BBC and Africa News.

Despite these diplomatic strains, the South African presidency has reiterated its commitment to a constructive relationship with the US and stated that its ties with France remain strong, which will not be affected by the withdrawal of the G7 invitation, according to BBC and Africa News.