President Cyril Ramaphosa has reiterated that South Africa will remain neutral in the conflict in Ukraine and that this position does not favour Russia.
Ramaphosa said this in his weekly presidential news letter amid a diplomatic row over claims by the US ambassador to the country that his government supplied weapons to Russia for the war.
The president has since formed an independent inquiry headed by a retired judge to establish the facts.
"We do not accept that our non-aligned position favours Russia above other countries. Nor do we accept that it should imperil our relations with other countries," Ramaphosa said.
He noted the conflict in Ukraine is in effect a conflict between Russia and the west and South Africa "will not be, drawn into a contest between global powers", he said.
He further added that South Africa would continue to honour international agreements and treaties it is a signatory to and its approach to.
In his letter, Ramaphosa re-emphasised that the conflict in Ukraine will not be resolved through military means but politically.
Ramaphosa also took aim at the UN noting that the composition of the UN Security Council, in particular, does not reflect the realities of the current global landscape.
"It needs to be overhauled so that there is equitable representation and a more inclusive mechanism for resolving international disputes."
South African is part of the Non-Aligned Movement, a forum of 120 countries that are not formally aligned with or against any major power bloc.
