South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Sunday closed the Group of 20 summit amid another diplomatic spat involving the U.S., which was not present.

The U.S. boycotted the two-day meeting of leaders from rich and emerging economies in Johannesburg over the Trump administration's claims that South Africa is violently persecuting its Afrikaner white minority.

South Africa broke with tradition at the first G20 summit in Africa by issuing a leaders' declaration on the opening day of the talks on Saturday.

Declarations usually come at the end of the summit.

That declaration came in the face of opposition from the U.S., which has been critical of a South African agenda for the group that largely focuses on climate change and global wealth inequality.

Argentina said it also opposed the declaration after Argentinian President Javier Milei - a Trump ally - also skipped the summit.

Closing the summit on Sunday, Ramaphosa effectively handed the gavel to an empty chair.

South Africa had insisted that a traditional handover ceremony at the end of the summit would likely not happen because the U.S. only wanted to send a diplomatic official from its embassy, calling it an insult to Ramaphosa.

The U.S. is due to take over as G20 president for 2026, and says it will host its summit at President Donald Trump's golf club in Doral, Florida.