The head of Russian diplomacy, Sergei Lavrov, sharply criticized the “dominance”, “aggression” and “hegemony” of the United States and Western countries over the world order in Havana on Monday, on the first day of a tour of Latin America, which will continue in Venezuela and Brazil, AFP and Agerpres reported .

“The realities of the multipolar world (…) cause an aggressive reaction from the United States and other minority countries of the world, which by any means want to preserve their dominance, hegemony and dictation,” said the head of the Russian diplomat during a meeting with his Cuban counterpart Bruno Rodriguez.

“The means used for this by the representatives of the US and other Western countries include not diplomacy, but blackmail, ultimatums, threats, the use of brute force and sanctions,” he condemned, according to his speech published in Russian. on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia.

Cuba “knows firsthand what illegal pressure is, a total embargo that only the United States defends as a legitimate course of action,” he added.

Former Republican President Donald Trump (2017-2021) during his term strengthened the US embargo that has been in place against Cuba since the 1960s, and Moscow, in turn, is subject to increased Western sanctions after the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Lavrov is going to Brazil and Venezuela again

A meeting between Sergey Lavrov and Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel is also scheduled. Then he is expected in Venezuela and Brazil, where he will take part in the meeting of the G20 foreign ministers.

This is Lavrov’s second visit to the communist island in less than a year, AFP reminds. Cuba and Russia became very close after President Díaz-Canel visited Moscow in late 2022, where he met with Vladimir Putin.

As part of the rapprochement, the two countries have signed several agreements on economic cooperation, and high-ranking Cuban and Russian officials have increased the number of visits to the two countries. This rapprochement with Moscow comes at a time when Cuba is facing its worst economic crisis in three decades.

During a visit last April, Lavrov thanked Cuba for its “understanding” regarding the war in Ukraine. Havana, which has called for a negotiated solution to the conflict, has never condemned the Russian offensive.

Following media reports of Cubans being recruited to fight in Ukraine, the government announced in September the arrest of 17 people for alleged ties to a human trafficking ring operating out of Russia. Since then, no official information has been received regarding the continuation of the investigation.

Follow the latest events of the 727th day of the war in Ukraine LIVETEXT on HOTNEWS.RO.