Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov arrived this Wednesday at the opening of the G20 foreign ministers' meeting in Rio de Janeiro. Lavrov landed in Brazil after passing through Cuba and Venezuela, where he met with the presidents of those two countries, Miguel Díaz-Canel and Nicolás Maduro, respectively..
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His tour of Latin America aims to strengthen Russia's ties with its traditional allies in the region amid the international condemnation for the war in Ukraine, which completes two years on Saturday, and the recent death of the opponent Alexei Navalny, a fact in which the United States and other Western powers point to Russian President Vladimir Putin as responsible.
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It was precisely this Wednesday in Rio where Lavrov met for the first time with the United States Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, since Navalny's death last week.
The G20 Foreign Ministers sat at a large rectangular table chaired by the host, Brazilian Minister Mauro Vieira. Blinken was seated next to the British minister, David Cameron, and at the other end was Lavrov.
The start of the meeting was marked by divisions over the wars in Gaza and Ukraine, and Brazil harshly criticized the “paralysis” of the UN Security Council in resolving these conflicts.
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At the moment, a private meeting between Blinken and Lavrov is not confirmed. And it is, in reality, unlikely to happen. The head of US diplomacy told Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva this Wednesday that Washington “does not see the conditions” at present for diplomatic mediation in the war in Ukraine.
The Russian Foreign Minister, meanwhile, spoke this Wednesday in Rio with his counterparts from Brazil, Vieira; from Mexico, Alicia Bárcena; from Bolivia, Celinda Sosa Lunda, and from Paraguay, Rubén Ramírez.
And it is expected, according to sources from the Brazilian presidency, that Lavrov will meet this Thursday with Lula in Brasilia.
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With that quote, the Russian Foreign Minister closes his tour in the region, after agreeing in Venezuela to expand oil cooperation with Caracas and highlight the “excellent relations” with Cuba, its historical ally due to its ties after the triumph of the Cuban revolution in 1959.
In statements to Tradefrom Peru, international analyst Roberto Heimovits, points out that “it would be advisable to individualize the countries that Lavrov is visiting.” In his opinion, “Lavrov is not trying to win new friends in Latin America but rather to strengthen relations with the friends he already has”.
For this reason, he says, the tour only included “countries that are already on the Russian side or are close to being so.” In the case of Brazil, he adds, “it seems that Lula's ideological or personal rejection of the United States brings him closer and closer to Russia.”
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About Cuba, Heimovits points out that “it has geopolitical and military importance because beyond a little nickel it is not an important source of raw materials for Russia. Furthermore, due to poverty and the Cuban economy it is not a favorable market.”.
On the other hand, the analyst considers that Russia would seek to ensure a better geographical position with Venezuela.
“Venezuela has geopolitical importance due to its position in the Caribbean. We could mention oil, but deep down it would not be in Russia's best interest for the Venezuelan oil industry to resurrect from the catastrophic state it is in because if its supply increases it would lower the price of Russian oil. that is keeping its economy afloat. Perhaps Lavrov is seeking to woo Venezuela by offering support in the dispute with Guyana that Maduro is trying to revive.“explains Heimovits.
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Thus, for Venezuelan analyst Daniel Arias, a lawyer by profession, Colombia was left out of the tour because, “despite President Gustavo Petro's sympathy for the causes of multilateralism defended by Moscow, a visit by Lavrov would cause more inconveniences.” What geopolitical advantages to the Colombian leader.”
WILLIAM MORENO HERNÁNDEZ
INTERNATIONAL EDITORIAL
TIME
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