Venezuela condemns Western sanctions against Russia and denounces attempts to cancel the Russian culture worldwide, Foreign Minister Felix Plasencia said.

“We are here today to raise our voices against sanctions targeting the Russian people and the Russian government,” he said on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Turkey.

Plasencia added that sanctions piled on Russia after it launched a special military operation in Ukraine were illegal and ran counter to the UN Charter.

The diplomat said he was appalled and disgusted by restrictions on the Russian culture and language and called them a xenophobic act that Venezuela “condemns in the strongest terms.”

Source: Agencies