South African Military Delegation Visits Moscow for Combat Readiness Talks

The commander of South Africa's ground forces, Lieutenant General Lawrence Mbatha, is in Moscow for talks on improving combat readiness with his Russian counterpart, Colonel General Oleg Salyukov. The South African delegation is expected to visit Russian ground forces’ training sites and defense industry enterprises. Mbatha’s visit comes after the US accused South Africa of secretly providing arms to Russia, which South Africa denied and announced an independent inquiry into the claims. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa held phone talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin where both leaders agreed to “intensify mutually beneficial ties in various fields.”