South Africa summons the US ambassador after accusations about the alleged shipment of arms to Russia

Follow live the latest news about the war in Ukraine

May 12. (EUROPE PRESS) –

The Government of South Africa has summoned the ambassador of the United States, Reuben Brigety, to personally express his discomfort at statements made on Thursday and in which he accused the South African authorities of allowing the shipment of arms to Russia at the end of 2022.

The South African Foreign Ministry believes that relations with the United States are “cordial” and “strong”, but wants to discuss the issue with the ambassador himself, Reuben Brigety. In addition, the head of South African diplomacy, Naledi Pandor, will speak with his American counterpart, Antony Blinken.

The spokesman for the Ministry, Clayson Monyela, has emphasized that the commission that supervises the sale of arms “does not have records” of the delivery to which the ambassador alluded, so it will examine this possible incident. “If a crime had been committed, the law will follow its course,” Monyela promised on Twitter.

The Government of Cyril Rampahosa already described Brigety’s statements as disappointing on Thursday, a reaction similar to that expressed this Friday by the ruling party, the African National Congress (ANC), which sees them as “reckless” and “regrettable”, according to News 24 portal.

The US ambassador specifically alluded to a Russian ship that docked at a naval base in Cape Town in December 2022, linking it in turn to the war in Ukraine. “We are convinced that she loaded weapons and ammunition (…) before returning to Russia,” he told the media.