Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was invited by his South African counterpart for talks in Pretoria on Monday, in a check out that has triggered criticism versus the backdrop of the war in Ukraine.A continental powerhouse, South Africa has refused to condemn Russias invasion of Ukraine and resisted taking sides over the war.The dispute has set off sweeping Western sanctions against Moscow and tries to leave it diplomatically isolated.South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor thanked Lavrov for the most fantastic conference after the talks, which she earlier said would have assisted strengthen the already excellent relations in between the two countries.Sitting alongside Moscows top diplomat she explained Russia as a valued partner.

South Africa just recently presumed the chairmanship of the BRICS, a grouping that likewise includes Brazil, Russia, India and China to challenge the dominant U.S.

and European-led global governance structures.Last week, it announced it will host 10-day joint maritime drills with Russia and China off the port city of Durban and Richards Bay in February.But the links with Moscow have set off criticism in the country, with some implicating the government of having actually deserted its neutral stance.

It is ending up being increasingly clear that the South African federal government is openly siding with Russia, said Darren Bergman, a lawmaker with the primary opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) party.

Friendly engagement with Russia was not suitable unless focused on persuading it to end its involvement in Ukraine, he said.Lavrov told an interview that Russia did not refuse settlements with Ukraine.

But those who decline need to comprehend that the longer they refuse, the harder it is to find a service, he said.Officials in Moscow have actually blamed the closure of diplomatic channels on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who has actually said he will not work out while Russian leader Vladimir Putin remains in power.Despite the general public overtures, the Kremlin has up until now revealed little willingness to soften its method on the ground.In Pretoria, members of the Ukrainian neighborhood in South Africa held a little demonstration versus the see, with some waving signs reading Go home Lavrov and Stop the lies! Stop the war.

Last week, the structure of late South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, called the prepared naval exercises disgraceful and tantamount to a statement that South Africa is joining the war versus Ukraine.

Pandor protected the drills, saying they became part of the natural course of relations in between countries.

All countries carry out military exercises with pals, she said.