South African Inquiry Rebuts U.S. Charge on Russian Arms
New York TimesAPR 2023
The South African government was proven right as there were no arms deliveries to Russia. However, the economic and diplomatic damage caused by the outrageous allegations of the US was immense, seriously harming South Africa's reputation in the world. South Africa will continue to maintain its position of not taking sides in the Russia-Ukraine war, while not allowing itself to be dictated with which countries it maintains friendly relations that serve the interests of its people.
While the South African government-appointed commission claims it found no evidence that Pretoria supplied weapons in support of Russia's war against Ukraine, the exact events remain murky. Pretoria may pretend to take a neutral stance in the Ukraine war, but joint military maneuvers with Russia and China, as well as the recent Russia-Africa summit, paint a different picture. These findings will not dispel doubts about the South African government's credibility and neutrality.