South Africa's foreign ministry has summoned the US ambassador over allegations that the country supplied Russia with weapons and ammunition for its war in Ukraine.
South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor will also hold talks with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken amid diplomatic ramifications, South Africa's Department of International Relations and Cooperation announced on Twitter. US Ambassador Reuben Brigety told a press conference on Thursday that South Africa loaded weapons and ammunition onto a sanctioned Russian ship at the Simon's Town naval base near Cape Town last December. The weapons were then transported to Russia, Brigety said.
He called Russia's arming of South Africa "fundamentally impossible." Following Brigety's comments, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa confirmed that the Russian cargo ship's visit would be investigated. He said the investigation was launched before Brigety went public with his allegations and will use any evidence of weapons believed to be in the possession of US intelligence officials. His office said in a statement that there is currently "no evidence" that weapons were loaded onto the ship in South Africa.
The State Department said in a statement that "we are not aware of any state-sanctioned arms sales to Russia related to the relevant period/event."
The Associated Press has independently confirmed that Lady R visited a naval base in South Africa from the 6th to the 8th. in December, as Brigety claimed, and that it is connected to a company sanctioned by the United States for supplying weapons to the Russians. to the government and supporting its war effort. The issue threatens to seriously strain relations between the United States and one of its most important African partners. Monyela said South Africa would make "formal contact" with Brigety over her allegations, a diplomatic term that refers to a formal complaint. He also said in a Twitter post that South Africa "values ??the relationship we have with the United States. They are cordial, strong and mutually beneficial."
Ramaphosa's office on Thursday criticized Brigety for making the allegations public. South Africa's stance on the war in Ukraine has angered the United States and other Western countries after South Africa abstained from a UN vote last year condemning Russia's invasion. South Africa has said it will take a neutral stance in the war, but critics say it is actually backing Moscow after it hosted Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov for talks in January and allowed Russian and Chinese warships to use its waters for joint naval operations. internship on the east coast in February.
The exercises are timed in honor of the anniversary of the Russian occupation of Ukraine. The South African government also said it would not be ready to arrest Russian President Vladimir Putin when he visits a meeting of leaders of the Brics economic bloc in August, despite an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court. him
South Africa is a signatory to the International Court of Justice and must arrest Putin if he enters its territory. South Africa has a historical relationship with Russia, as the former Soviet Union supported the ruling African National Congress when it was a liberation movement fighting to end the apartheid system that oppressed the country's black majority.
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South Africa's foreign ministry has summoned the US ambassador over allegations that the country supplied Russia with weapons and ammunition for its war in Ukraine. 
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