MOSCOW, May 24. /TASS/. The United States’ attempts to blame South Africa for allegedly providing weapons and munitions to Russia mirror Washington’s habit of lecturing those who chart their own independent course, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov told reporters on Wednesday.
"This is merely a reflection of Washington’s entrenched habit of berating those who, for whatever reason, do not please the Americans in terms of pursuing an independent, autonomous foreign policy. It is like a head mistress who goes through problems of her own, but takes her inner mess out on people who know what they need and how to move on," the deputy minister said when asked by TASS to comment on US allegations against South Africa,
The diplomat emphasized that preparations for the BRICS ministerial meeting in Cape Town are drawing to a close.
"Both our political dialogue with the Republic of South Africa and our relationship, including in the material area, are picking up steam. I am confident that this will continue," Ryabkov concluded.
On May 11, US Ambassador to South Africa Reuben Brigety claimed that weapons and ammunition were loaded on to a Russian vessel, The Lady R, at the Simon’s Town South African naval base near Cape Town in December 2022. Later on that day, the South African presidential administration said that such allegations undermine the Pretoria-Washington partnership, underlining that the US offered no evidence to justify the claim. On May 12, Brigety was summoned to the South African Foreign Ministry, where Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor expressed her dissatisfaction with his actions. The ambassador admitted crossing the line and apologized, South African Foreign Ministry Spokesman Clayson Monyela said.