HAVANA, February 19. /TASS/. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has described Washington's trade and financial embargo against Cuba as absurd.

"We have reaffirmed our position by strongly condemning the illegal US trade, economic and financial embargo against Cuba. We consistently call for an immediate end to this shameful practice and the removal of Cuba from the US list of so-called state sponsors of terrorism," Lavrov said at a news conference following talks with Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla.

"The absurdity of this situation is obvious to everyone except, perhaps, those who run the show in Washington," he went on to say.