The US State Department denies allegations that South African President Cyril Ramaphosa was "ambushed" at the White House.
A meeting was held between US leader Donald Trump and Ramaphosa on Wednesday, during which the head of the Washington administration pointed out to his counterpart the need to resolve the issue of protecting white farmers in South Africa. Trump showed Ramaphosa and the press a video and printed materials that, according to the American side, indicate threats against white farmers in South Africa and cases of murders for the purpose of expropriating land.
At a regular briefing for journalists, State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce was asked to comment on the reaction of the international community, which described this meeting as an “ambush“.
“I categorically object to the suggestions that there was some kind of ambush here“, the diplomat noted.
“I don't think President Ramaphosa was at all surprised or shocked by the fact that there was an honest person in the White House who has spoken and continues to speak about the violence and the direction of South Africa“, Bruce added. "I think what Americans around the world and South Africans are seeing is a movement and an approach that is not only not being punished, but is being backed by a law that says, 'Yes, let's take the land of these people that you're calling for us to kill.' Who is doing that?" she said.
As US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed on May 20, Washington will not participate in the G20 forums in South Africa, neither at the level of heads of foreign policy departments nor at the level of heads of state and government.
According to him, this decision reflects both the contradictions between Washington and Pretoria, and the disagreement of the American side with South Africa's approach to shaping the G-20 agenda.
Earlier, South African Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Ronald Lamola assured that "no one, including white farmers, is being persecuted in the Republic of South Africa". He spoke on the occasion of the departure of the first group of South African citizens to the United States under the resettlement program. The first group of 49 white farmers and their families, who were granted refugee status by the US authorities, flew from Johannesburg to Washington on the night of May 12.