During a video conference dialogue on Thursday, Putin spoke in favor of strengthening the role the United Nations has played in international affairs, highlighting its ability to interact with the world community on all key issues, the Kremlin stated.

Both politicians stressed the importance of developing joint efforts to fight Covid-19, while the Russian side expressed its willingness to continue supporting the UN and its specialized agencies in the vaccination and treatment of the disease.

Guterres and Putin discussed different current regional issues, among them the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and agreed that the main task is to stop the violent actions on both sides and protect the civilian population.

Earlier, the UN chief met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, with whom he reviewed the bilateral cooperation status and discussed Russia’s possible support in solving different international conflicts.

During a joint press briefing, the head of Russian diplomacy drew attention on the impact of the United States blockade against Cuba, increased amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

In response to Prensa Latina’s question about the issue, Lavrov pointed out that the UN General Assembly approves every year ‘by an overwhelming majority’ a resolution against the US policy towards Cuba. ‘Two or three countries do not approve it along with the United States, the remaining nations vote for.’

For his part, Guterres recalled that the United Nations requested an exemption from sanctions that limit the States’ ability to respond effectively to Covid-19 and can address their social and economic consequences.

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