Rio refusal to refuel Lavrov's plane showcases potency of U.S. sanctions on Russia

"AeroTelegraph" and "The Moscow Times" have reported that the staff at the airport in Rio de Janeiro, where Sergey Lavrov's IL-96 registered RA-96019 landed, declined to refuel the aircraft.

The airport services operator, Vibra Energia, cited American sanctions prohibiting supplies for Russian state aircraft as the reason. Consequently, Lavrov's intended flight to Brazil, where he planned to meet with the country's president, was put into question.

Lavrov aimed to return to Moscow. A proposal was then made to refuel his plane with fuel designed for the Brazilian air force. "The plan was unsuccessful," writes AeroTelegraph, because the military did not have enough fuel. As a result, Lavrov ended up travelling to Brazil's capital as a passenger on a plane owned by Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira.

Lavrov responded to these reports on Thursday evening. While speaking with Kremlin's RIA Novosti, he confirmed that "the Brazilian authorities assisted in resolving the issue of refuelling the plane."

"Virtually all refuelling companies in Brazil are owned by Western corporations," Lavrov added.

The head of the Russian foreign ministry repeated his claim that attempts to isolate Russia have been unsuccessful and he blamed the United States for causing turmoil in a world which, according to the Russian minister, "is boldly moving towards multipolarity and justice".

During his visit to Venezuela, Lavrov recommended "jointly seeking justice" in relation to the confiscation of sovereign property. While in Cuba, he promised a new loan to the country, a gesture that follows Vladimir Putin's 2014 decision to write off a debt of 32 billion dollars.