US Ambassador Says South Africa Supply Weapons To Russia

JAKARTA - United States Ambassador to South Africa trapped on Thursday accused the country of supplying weapons to Russia.

Ambassador Brigey said weapons and ammunition had been loaded onto a Russian cargo ship docked in Cape Town in December.

"We believe that weapons have been loaded onto the ship and I am willing to risk my life for the accuracy of the statement," Brigey told South African media.

He added that the situation was "unacceptably" and was an "unexplainable" deviation from South Africa's misaligned policies.

The statement made Pretoria hot, making President's Office Cyril Ramaphosa retaliate.

The comments "corrupt the spirit of cooperation and partnership" between the two countries, said Vincent Magwenya, spokesman for President Ramaphosa.

Separately, the US State Department is taking on a finer deal than its representative in South Africa.

"The US has serious concerns about the docking of Russian cargo ships subject to sanctions at South Africa's naval port in December last year," said US State Department spokesman Vedant Patel.

"And as a good partner, we have expressed that concern directly to some South African officials," he continued.

South Africa has expressed its desire to remain neutral in Russia's invasion of Ukraine and abstain in a vote on UN resolutions condemning the attack last year.