Russian FM urges nations to unite against US-led sanctions ‘blackmail’

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has called on like-minded countries to join forces against the “blackmail” of Western sanctions during a visit to Venezuela as part of his tour of Latin America.

“It is necessary to join forces to counter the attempts of blackmail and illegal unilateral pressure of the West,” Lavrov said at a joint press conference on Tuesday with his Venezuelan counterpart Yvan Gil in Caracas.

The top Russian diplomat further censured the brutal US sanctions long imposed against independent Latin American nations such as Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua, and pledged full support for Caracas to help its economy become independent “from the pressures of the United States and other western actors.”

Lavrov and Gil also discussed a number of their bilateral agreements covering financial, energy, agricultural and other sectors.

He also met with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who later said in a post on Twitter that it was a “pleasant meeting that strengthened bilateral relations.”

Lavrov is on a week-long tour of Latin America that began in Brazil and will later travel to Cuba and Nicaragua and its due to hold talks with Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel and Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega.

Both nations have been among the top targets of US economic sanctions and political meddling aimed at destabilizing the two nations that revolted against and ousted US-installed dictators.

Lavrov arrived in Brasilia on Monday, where he discussed issues such as the Ukraine conflict and bilateral trade with Brazilian government officials.

He also met with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and thanked Brazil for its efforts to resolve the conflict in Ukraine.

Lula drew criticism from Washington on Monday for his recent remarks suggesting the West had been “encouraging” war in Ukraine by arming Kiev’s government.

White House spokesman John Kirby accused Lula of “parroting Russian and Chinese propaganda without looking at the facts.”

Brazil has refused to join Western countries in imposing sanctions against Russia and has turned down their pleas to supply Ukraine with ammunition.

During his visit to Brazil, Lavrov further stated that Moscow will support the country’s entry into the United Nations Security Council as a permanent member.