The United States is convinced that South Africa has supplied weapons to Vladimir Putin’s army, Ruben Brighetti said.
The Republic of South Africa (SAR) supplied ammunition to Russia by ship from the Simonstown naval base in Cape Town. This is what the US Ambassador to this country, Ruben Brigetti, said according to News24 on Thursday, May 11.
“The United States is convinced that South Africa, despite its professed neutral stance on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, has supplied weapons to Vladimir Putin’s army,” the statement said.
According to the ambassador, the United States recorded the parking of a cargo ship at the Simonstown Naval Base between December 6 and 8, 2022. The Americans are sure that South African representatives loaded weapons and ammunition to this ship, which then ended up in the Russian Federation.
Brigetti said the US government is taking the matter seriously. He added that arming the Russians is a serious problem, and Washington does not believe that this issue is closed. The ambassador assured that the US intelligence data was accurate.
The publication recalls that the ship Lady R entered the naval base in December, and it caused speculation and concern. Brighetti then officially wrote to Defense Minister Tandi Modize, but the department dismissed the US accusations.
It is also known that the ship Lady R has been under US sanctions since May 2022. It belongs to a Russian company.
Source: korrespondent
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