HAVANA, December 5. /TASS/. The United States is seeking to transform the entire world into its "backyard" as Washington attempts to expand the scope of the Monroe Doctrine to encompass the entire globe, Russian Ambassador to Cuba Viktor Koronelli said in an interview with the Prensa Latina news agency.

"Washington is trying to turn the planet into its 'backyard,' giving the famous Monroe Doctrine a global scope and illegal unilateral sanctions the status of a tool to force sovereign countries to do [Washington’s] bidding," the Russian mission to Cuba quoted the diplomat as saying in excerpts from the interview posted on its Telegram channel.

The Monroe Doctrine was formulated by US President James Monroe in 1823. While ostensibly meant to uphold the inadmissibility of drawing countries in the Western Hemisphere into conflicts among European powers, in reality it has often been invoked to justify US dominance in the Latin American region, patronizingly referred to as "America’s backyard" or sphere of influence. In this regard, the Monroe Doctrine has traditionally been used by Washington as an ideological license for expansionist practices and blatant interference in the internal affairs of other, less powerful nations.