According to Russian news agencies, the commander of the South African army’s ground forces, Lieutenant General Lawrence Mbatha, is currently on an official visit to Moscow.

This visit comes in the midst of tensions between South Africa and the United States, as the US has accused Pretoria of supplying arms to Russia, which has been involved in a military offensive against Ukraine for over a year.

The Russian Defense Ministry stated that discussions between Lieutenant General Mbatha and his Russian counterparts focused on military cooperation and enhancing the combat readiness of the armed forces of both countries.

Agreements were reportedly reached to strengthen cooperation in various fields within the ground forces.

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During the visit, the South African delegation is scheduled to visit military educational institutions of the Russian ground forces as well as enterprises within the Russian military-industrial complex.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa emphasized that his country would not be drawn into a competition between world powers regarding the situation in Ukraine.

He stated that South Africa’s non-aligned position does not favor Russia over other countries and does not jeopardize its relations with other nations.

President Ramaphosa recently had a phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, expressing their mutual desire to increase cooperation between the two countries.