The White House says a recent high-level call ‘reaffirmed the strong partnership between South Africa and the United States’ — a move that analysts say improves what has long been a tense relationship, marred by a public diplomatic spat and Pretoria’s reluctance to disengage from Russia. In this Voice of America interview, SAIIA’s Researcher Isabel Bosman said ‘nonalignment is a vital component of South Africa’s foreign policy, and its importance in the context of the African Peace Initiative on the Ukraine-Russia war should not be overlooked’.