MOSCOW, March 23. /TASS/. Russia welcomes the normalization of the Cuban-US relations, the Russian Foreign Ministry has said ahead of Tuesday’s visit of Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to Havana.

"The particular steps taken by the United States and Cuba, aimed at the normalization of bilateral dialogue, meet the interests of both countries and international security as a whole," the ministry said.

"Russia’s position remains unchanged that the US trade and economic blockade of Cuba needs to be immediately lifted," the ministry stressed.