Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov

Moscow, Jan 18 (RHC) The U.S. blockade against Cuba is illegal and must end, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Wednesday at his annual press conference with foreign media accredited in Moscow.

In statements to Prensa Latina, Lavrov said that Moscow's relations with Latin American and Caribbean nations are on the rise, as evidenced by the bilateral exchange and collaboration.

He said that Russia and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) intend to resume the dialogue mechanism established at the ministerial level to coordinate mutual actions.

Lavrov said that the announcement of Brazil's return to CELAC is very important for regional integration and for nations to be able to raise their interests and concerns with a single voice.

Regarding Ukraine’s issue, the diplomat assured that Russia is ready to respond to serious negotiation proposals, but has not yet received any.

Regarding the relations between Russia and African nations, the Foreign Minister recalled that trade with them is conducted with agreements in national currencies, and documents are being prepared to find new forms of interaction in the conditions of sanctions.

Finally, regarding the reconfiguration of a multipolar world, Lavrov referred that the United States lacks sufficient forces of its own to contain Russia and China at the same time, so it resorts to a total mobilization of the West to change the inevitable. (Source: Prensa Latina)