 Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro received Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in his office at the Miramar Government Palace in Caracas on April 18. During the meeting, Lavrov handed Maduro a folder with documents sent by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Earlier on Tuesday, Lavrov said the two countries were set to expand their cooperation agreements in energy, investment, trade and finance, among other areas, after meeting with his Venezuelan counterpart, Ivan Gil. Lavrov is currently touring allied countries in Latin America. He met with Brazilian President Luis Inácio Lula de Silva on April 17 and will visit Cuba on April 19. Venezuela is a close ally of Putin and President Maduro has been vocal about his support for the Russian leader in the midst of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Moscow has supported Maduro through his country's political crisis, marked by sanctions from the United States against government workers and institutions.