Sergey Lavrov: Economic Pressure on Cuba Unacceptable

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov labeled the economic pressure on Cuba “unacceptable” during a phone call with his Cuban counterpart Bruno Rodríguez. According to a statement by Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Moscow reaffirmed its principled stance against coercive economic measures targeting Cuba—including restrictions on energy supplies to the island. The statement emphasized Russia’s firm commitment to providing Cuba with necessary political and material support, though no further details were given. Bilateral ties between Russia and Cuba have strengthened since the start of the war in Ukraine in 2022. Meanwhile, former U.S. President Donald Trump—having already halted Venezuelan oil shipments to Cuba after Nicolás Maduro’s arrest in early January—signed an executive order last week authorizing tariffs on countries selling oil to Havana. Washington cites Cuba’s proximity to Florida—just 150 km—as a national security threat. Trump claimed on Sunday that the U.S. has begun dialogue with Havana, aiming for a formal agreement. In a related development, Russian Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev recently visited Havana and met with Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel—the first such high-level Russian visit since Maduro’s arrest in Caracas on January 3. Cuba, under a U.S. economic embargo since 1962, has faced a deepening economic crisis for six years, worsened by foreign exchange shortages hindering fuel imports and exacerbating chronic energy shortages.