The nationwide safety adviser to South Africa’s president Cyril Ramaphosa mentioned it was in his nation’s “personal curiosity” to research a US accusation that arms had been covertly transported to Russia from a Cape City naval base, as Pretoria tried to calm a diplomatic storm.

In an try to stress South Africa’s neutrality within the battle between Russia and Ukraine, its overseas ministry mentioned that Ramaphosa would converse to Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday. Ramaphosa referred to as Russian president Vladimir Putin earlier this week, because the dispute with the US flared up.

Pretoria is making ready to carry an inquiry into Washington’s allegations that arms had been loaded on to a Russian ship at a port in Cape City final yr.

Sydney Mufamadi, Ramaphosa’s nationwide safety adviser, mentioned in a media briefing on Saturday that “it’s in our personal curiosity to grasp what occurred and whether or not what occurred was ethically appropriate”.

He added that “we have to clarify that we certainly are actively non-aligned so far as that battle is anxious . . . we’re anti-war”.

Reuben Brigety, the US ambassador to South Africa, mentioned this week that South Africa had positioned arms on the Woman R, a cargo vessel owned by a US sanctioned Russian firm, throughout a cease in Cape City in December.

Ramaphosa’s authorities didn’t deny the declare outright, straining the connection between the US and its greatest buying and selling accomplice in Africa and inflicting turmoil in South African markets.

The incident solid doubt on South Africa’s claims to be non-aligned over the battle in Ukraine, regardless of earlier indicators that it has been forging nearer hyperlinks with Russia, together with joint naval workout routines.

Each the US and South Africa seem like looking for methods to calm the scenario.

Antony Blinken, US secretary of state, “underscored the significance of the US-South Africa strategic partnership” in a name with South Africa’s overseas minister Naledi Pandor on Friday, the state division mentioned.

“So necessary is that this relationship that we should always not enable ourselves to stroll away from one another on the slightest irritation,” Mufamadi mentioned.

Mufamadi lately led a delegation to the Washington to clarify Pretoria’s place on the battle and to protect preferential South African commerce entry to the American market beneath the US African Progress and Alternative Act, which had been put doubtful by indicators of the nearer ties with Russia.

Zane Dangor, an official within the South African overseas ministry, mentioned that earlier than Brigety’s remarks this week, US officers had introduced their claims concerning the ship to Mufamadi’s delegation, however denied that this took the type of concrete proof.

South Africa’s defence minister mentioned final yr that the Woman R had delivered a consignment for the nation’s army, however it didn’t disclose what might have then been loaded on to the vessel earlier than its return to Russia.

The ship appeared to change off its transponder earlier than coming into the Simon’s City naval base in December. The South African authorities has mentioned that it didn’t approve any arms exports to Russia over this era.