The chancellor of Russia, Sergei Lavrov, thanked the Cuban government for its "full understanding" of the conflict in Ukraine.
Lavrov, visiting Havana, met with his Cuban counterpart, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bruno Rodriguez Grill.
"We appreciate that from the very beginning of the special military operation our Cuban friends (...) have clearly stated their position and expressed their full understanding in their assessments of the reasons that led to the current situation," the official said, according to the Telegram account of the Moscow Chancellery.
He head of Russian diplomacy arrived in Cuba on Wednesday. That night, the American embassy in Havana was illuminated in the yellow and blue colors of the Ukrainian flag.
Regarding the sanctions imposed on Moscow by the United States, Canada and the European Union after the invasion of Ukraine, the senior Russian leader assured that his country "has been subject to American sanctions (...) long before the current events."
"The Americans declared a crusade against Russia, against its legitimate interests, against Russian culture, Russian traditions, by choosing the Nazi regime in kyiv as a sharp weapon," he said at a press conference.
For his part, the Cuban minister "rejected the sanctions against Russia" and those he blamed for "notably aggravating the current situation."
According to a statement released by the Cuban Foreign Ministry, Rodríguez Parrilla pointed out that the expansion of NATO is "the main cause of the conflict in Europe," and advocated for "a serious, constructive and realistic diplomatic solution to the current crisis, which guarantees security, peace and regional and international stability".
Lavrov also condemned the "illegal and illegitimate" embargo by the United States on Cuba, and accused that country and the entire West of trying to impose their dominance in the world through dirty methods.
"Recent years have shown that the only method the United States uses in its international relations is dictation, blackmail, threats and sanctions," he said.
"I have invited the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cuba, Bruno Rodríguez, to make a response visit to the Russian Federation. We will be able to announce the dates in the near future," he added.
This is Lavrov's eighth visit to Cuba, the last destination of a tour that previously took him through Brazil, Venezuela and Nicaragua, his allies in the Latin American region.
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