MOSCOW, May 14 South African Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana believes that his country would not face US sanctions over allegations of arms supplies to Russia.
According to Bloomberg, Godongwana said Pretoria had settled with the US over the allegations and was unlikely to face the consequences. The Minister noted that «a number of actions have been taken» in order to keep relations between the two countries «normal and cordial.»
«Americans are unlikely to respond tomorrow with any kind of anger,» Godongwana said in an interview with the agency.
According to him, the American side first expressed concern on this issue two months ago, in connection with which South African President Cyril Ramaphosa asked his security adviser and independent judge to investigate, and also sent a delegation to the United States to ease tension.
Earlier, the News24 TV channel broadcast the words of the US Ambassador to South Africa Ruben Brighetti, who claimed that South Africa allegedly supplies weapons to the Russian army. The American side refers to the arrival of a Russian ship at the South African Navy base Simonstown. The ship stayed at the base from 6 to 8 December 2022. According to the ambassador, the United States is confident that weapons and ammunition were allegedly loaded onto the ship, after which the ship returned back to Russia. The South African Foreign Ministry then reported that the ambassador, after an official protest from the department, admitted that he had crossed the line and apologized.