Putin's Minister Vows To Help Venezuela To Evade 'Illegal' Western Sanctions: 'US Can Cheat At Any Moment'

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, on a visit to Venezuela, criticized the U.S. for its unprecedented sanctions against Moscow for invading Ukraine.

What Happened: Vladimir Putin‘s minister at a news conference after talks with Venezuelan Foreign Minister Ivan Gil Pinto said, “The United States can cheat at any moment,” reported Tass.

Lavrov dubbed Russia a “world champion” in terms of the number of sanctions imposed by the collective West against Moscow. He said he would share Russia’s experience to help Venezuela avoid the influence of sanctions.

See Also: Putin’s Surprise Visit To Annexed Territories Sparks Defiance From Ukraine: ‘We Will Defeat Russia’

“I am convinced that our experience will also be useful to Venezuelan friends because we are now world champions in terms of the number of sanctions and we are accumulating experience quickly. So we will share it with our Venezuelan colleagues,” the Russian Foreign Minister said.

Lavrov’s comments came in response to a media question that asked if Russia could guide Venezuela to overcome sanctions referring to an event where the U.S. had hinted that they would lift sanctions from Venezuela but then announced that restrictions, on the contrary, could be tightened.

“You can start with the story when both Gorbachev and Yeltsin were assured that NATO would not expand, and further down the list. It will probably be tiresome to listen to. Everyone knows this well,” he added.

“It is necessary to join forces to counter the attempts of blackmail and illegal unilateral pressure of the West,” Lavrov said.

Allying with his Venezuelan counterpart, Lavrov said Russia would support its “friends.” He said Putin’s country would make the Venezuelan economy becomes less dependent on the “whims and geopolitical games” of the West.

The U.S. has imposed sanctions on Venezuela since the early 2000s, but they intensified after the election of President Nicolás Maduro in 2017. The sanctions target individuals and entities associated with the government, as well as the economy.

While the U.S. justifies the sanctions as a response to the government’s human rights abuses, corruption, and anti-democratic practices, Venezuela sees them as illegal and harmful. Some have argued the sanctions exacerbate the country’s economic crisis and contribute to suffering, while others see them as a necessary tool for change.

Read Next: Vladimir Putin Admits To ‘Serious Challenges' A Year After Ukraine Invasion