The Republic of South Africa is an ally of Russia and must provide Moscow with all possible assistance, including military aid, said Julius Malema, leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) parliamentary party.
In an interview with British media, Malema, whose party is the third-largest political party in South Africa and has 44 members in the current 400-member lower house of the South African National Assembly, stressed that the two countries were historical allies and that Pretoria's neutrality only applied in the context of the Ukraine conflict.
"I will go beyond the friendship with Russia. In the war, I will align with Russia and I will even supply the weapons to Russia, because Russia is in a war with imperialism," the South African politician said.
Malema added that his party would support "any agenda" that seeks to roll back the "imperialist agenda" of the West.
The EFF leader also said his party encourages the country's government to withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC). He has previously been highly critical of the ICC, arguing that it is biased and serves as a tool of global imperialism. At the time, he announced that the EFF has plans to introduce a parliamentary bill on the withdrawal of South Africa from the court.
On March 17, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued a warrant for the arrest of Putin and Russian Presidential Commissioner for Children's Rights Maria Lvova-Belova, citing alleged "unlawful transfer of population (children) from occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation."
Malema noted that the ICC did nothing against former US President George W. Bush in connection with the wars in Iraq and turned a blind eye when Barack Obama and NATO illegally bombed Libya.