West is pressuring Africa, Latin America to sanction Russia, says Lavrov

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused the West on Friday of putting "brazen pressure" on countries in Africa and Latin America to comply with measures taken against Russia over its military actions in Ukraine.

Lavrov, speaking at a news conference, said countries should be allowed to make up their own minds about how to conduct their relations with Russia.

The West has imposed sweeping economic sanctions against Russia following its decision to send tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine in February 2022. But many countries in the developing world - including the Asian giants China and India - have not introduced punitive measures against Moscow.