In South Africa speech, Blinken details US policy for Africa

By MOGOMOTSI MAGOME
Associated Press

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South Africa’s neutral stance on Russia’s war in Ukraine was discussed in a meeting Monday between U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and South Africa’s Minister of International Relations Naledi Pandor. South Africa did not appear to shift in its refusal to criticize Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. Instead, Pandor criticized the U.S. and other Western powers for focusing on the Ukraine conflict to the detriment of other international issues. Before the closed-door meeting with Pandor, Blinken had said that the United States’ good relations with South Africa would allow them to be frank in discussing their differences. Blinken is in South Africa as part of a three-nation tour of Africa including Congo and Rwanda.