Russian FM Sergei Lavrov arrives in Cuba as part of Latin America tour

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov visited Cuba on Thursday to strengthen political and economic ties with the country, which has been under a U.S. economic embargo since shortly after Fidel Castro's 1959 revolution. Lavrov met with Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel and Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez, expressing support for each other's opposition to what they call U.S. hegemony. Russia is seeking to increase support from its closest allies in Latin America, including Venezuela, which Lavrov visited earlier in his tour. Russia and Venezuela have strong bilateral relations, signing 11 agreements on health, energy, maritime transport, and drugs last year. Lavrov praised Venezuela's adherence to the UN Charter's principles of non-interference in internal affairs and invited his Venezuelan counterpart to visit Russia.