Lavrov Advises US Ambassador in South Africa to 'Know His Place'

The Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has advised the US ambassador in South Africa to 'know his place' instead of interfering in the relations between Russia and South Africa, reported RIA Novosti.

'If an American or another ambassador from across the ocean feels something, then he should generally know his own place and not meddle in others' affairs. If we touch upon the topic of arms supplies, I would like to emphasize once again: we never violate international norms. However, our Western partners do break them, sending a huge quantity of modern, long-range, and unsafe weapons to that country while declaring neutrality regarding the events in Ukraine, including to those who use them,' said Lavrov.

Lavrov pointed out that both South Africa and Russia are sovereign states. 'American ambassadors would do better to take care of their image in the eyes of foreign societies,' Lavrov added.

Earlier, the US ambassador in South Africa, Ruben Brigety, claimed that the republic was allegedly supplying arms to the Russian army. Following an official complaint from the South African Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the US ambassador later admitted that he had crossed a line and apologized.