Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov plans to visit Latin America around the end of April to deepen cooperation and alliances against the West amid the Russian military’s war in Ukraine.

He plans to visit Brazil, Venezuela, Nicaragua and Cuba, according to an article published in the Brazilian and Cuban media and posted on Maundy Thursday on the website of Russian diplomacy.

Russia wants cooperation to be strengthened “on the basis of mutual support, solidarity and mutual recognition of the interests of one side of the other,” the text explains.

“We (…) are open to expanding cooperation on a multilateral basis, mainly in the context of Russia’s dialogue with the community of Latin American and Caribbean states,” insists Mr. Lavrov.

Last year, the export of Russian grain to the region increased by 48.8 percent, and the export of fertilizers and oil products also increased, he says.

Moscow has been seeking alliances in various parts of the world as it faces wide-ranging sanctions and attempts to diplomatically isolate itself from the West following the outbreak of war in Ukraine in February 2022.

However, the head of Russian diplomacy notes in the text, referring to Moscow’s contacts with countries in Africa and Asia, such as India, that his country still has friends despite the war in Ukraine, and this is what he wants to emphasize with a tour of Latin America.

Source: RES-IPE