South Africa allowed Russian plane under US sanctions to land at base

South African officials allowed a cargo plane targeted by US sanctions for supporting Russia’s military efforts to land at an air force base near the capital, Pretoria, last week, a move that could further increase tensions with the United States. US officials previously said the plane has been known to ship weapons for Russia’s defense forces. South Africa’s Department of Defense said in a statement on Wednesday that the plane had been delivering diplomatic mail for the Russian Embassy. South African officials have declined to say precisely what was loaded on to and taken off the plane. South Africa’s decision to let the aircraft land runs counter to American efforts to isolate Russia because of its invasion of Ukraine. Although South Africa is not bound by the US sanctions, the landing will “only serve to exacerbate the tense relations with the US,” said Steven Gruzd, a researcher of Russia’s relationship with Africa at the South African Institute of International Affairs. While South Africa has declared neutrality in the Russia-Ukraine war, he added, its foreign policy has increasingly leaned toward Russia. “It’s always a choice,” Gruzd said. “South Africa is choosing to do this.” A spokesman for the American Embassy in Pretoria declined to comment on the landing. The Russian Embassy also did not respond to a message sent to a spokesman. The landing, reported on Thursday by Business Day, a South African news outlet, comes as the United States was already expressing concern about whether the government in Pretoria has been aiding Moscow during the war in Ukraine.<br/>