Presidential security adviser Sydney Mufamadi has distanced himself from a White House statement that signalled that SA had changed its language in relation to the conflict in Ukraine and hardened its attitude towards Russia’s actions.
According to details of a call between Mufamadi and his US counterpart, Jake Sullivan, published by the White House on Monday, they highlighted the “need for an immediate end to Russia's aggression”, language that SA had avoided up to that point, as it took a “neutral stance”.
Although he and Sullivan “agreed about a number of things on how to move forward with respect to co-operation between our two countries, particularly our two offices”, Mufamadi said he did not use the words attributed to him.
“We had a good discussion,” he said. “I did not issue a statement. They issued a statement and used the language they are accustomed to, which is not our language.”
SA has so far maintained a “non-aligned” stance on the conflict in Ukraine, abstaining from three UN General Assembly votes condemning Russia's actions, and advocating for a negotiated settlement instead. This has put it at odds with the world's most powerful democracies that have condemned human rights violations by Russian troops and imposed sanctions on the country.
US President Joe Biden has gone as far as calling Russian President Vladimir Putin a war criminal and accused the country of committing “genocide” in Ukraine. That's not to say the western countries have complete unity on the issue. French President Emmanuel Macron declined to follow Biden's use of the word “genocide”, while Germany opposes a complete ban on Russian gas imports that would push Europe's biggest economy into a recession.
There has been a strong push from Western countries like the US and members of the EU for African countries to voice opposition to Russia’s actions, with US assistant secretary of state for African affairs, Molly Phee, saying early in March that “African voices matter in the international community”.
According to the White House statement on Monday, Sullivan and Mufamadi reaffirmed the commitment of their respective presidents to strengthen the US-South Africa bilateral relationship.
President Cyril Ramaphosa and Biden spoke to each other on the phone two and a half weeks before. According to the US statement after his discussion with Mufamadi, Sullivan also pledged support SA's response to the floods in Kwazulu-Natal and to “work closely with SA to address the crisis in Ukraine”.
They also spoke about an enhanced “partnership on trade and investment, health systems and health security, climate change, and support [for] counterterrorism and regional security efforts.”
SA troops are part of an intervention force to help stem an insurgency in northern Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado province.
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