• South Africa claims it was disinvited from the G7 summit due to US pressure on France.
• French officials assert that Kenya was invited instead without influencing from Washington.
• Tensions between South Africa and the US have escalated under the Trump administration.
• South Africa's President Ramaphosa was initially invited during a G20 summit in November.
• The diplomatic relationship between South Africa and the US faces challenges amid these developments.

South Africa reported on Thursday that it has been disinvited from the upcoming G7 Leaders' Summit scheduled for June in Évian-les-Bains, France, due to pressure from the United States. Vincent Magwenya, spokesperson for President Cyril Ramaphosa, indicated that French authorities communicated this decision after the US threatened to boycott the summit if South Africa participated. South Africa's relations with the US have deteriorated significantly since Donald Trump's return to the White House, amid conflicts over trade policies, historical grievances, and a genocide case against Israel raised at the International Court of Justice, according to Africanews and Le Monde.

Meanwhile, French officials denied that the US played a role in South Africa's exclusion. They clarified that the invitation extended to Kenya instead was a decision made independently by France in alignment with its ongoing diplomatic engagements. A White House official corroborated this by stating that the G7 members collectively decided to invite Kenya in response to discussions initiated in earlier meetings, without specifically addressing South Africa's exclusion. "The United States welcomes Kenya’s participation," the official remarked, indicating an attempt to bolster bilateral relations with the East African nation amidst changing geopolitical dynamics, according to Reuters.

Previously, President Macron's invitation to Ramaphosa came at the G20 summit held in November in South Africa, emphasizing a desire for greater African representation at international gatherings. However, following the US's threats, South Africa's participation in G7 events appears jeopardized. As stated by Magwenya, despite this setback, South Africa intends to maintain a constructive dialogue with the US, asserting that their diplomatic relationship predates the current administration and will endure beyond it, highlighting the complexity of international relationships, particularly following Trump's tariff policies and critiques of South Africa's domestic laws on racial equality, according to Le Monde and Africanews.