Cuba’s dictator Miguel Diaz-Canel on Wednesday highlighted his country’s stance of supporting Russia and criticizing the United States amid tensions between Moscow and Western powers in the context of the crisis in Ukraine.
Díaz-Canel shared on Twitter the statement released by the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs that defends “a diplomatic solution through constructive and respectful dialogue”.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday recognized the independence of the self-proclaimed breakaway republics of Donetsk and Lugansk in eastern Ukraine.
The decision was met with economic sanctions from the United States, the European Union and their allies, as well as support from countries such as Cuba, which cite Russia’s right to “defense itself”.
The Cuban Foreign Ministry also blamed Washington for threatening Russia and manipulating the international community through an alleged “imminent massive invasion” of Ukraine.
The text published on Wednesday added that the United States “supplied weapons and military technology, deployed troops in several countries in the region, applied unilateral and unfair sanctions and threatened other reprisals”.
Cuba also recalled that in 2014 it warned of the dangers of what it considers an “anti-Russian propaganda campaign”.
At that time, during the crisis in Crimea, Ukrainian territory occupied by Russia, Havana highlighted that “alarming events were happening in Ukraine”.
“Propaganda hysteria”
Four days ago, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez criticized US “propaganda hysteria” against Russia in the context of the Ukraine crisis, a day after Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov visited Havana.
The chancellor “strongly” rejected on Twitter the “propaganda and communication hysteria unleashed by the US government against Russia” and expressed his opposition to the “expansion of NATO to the borders of this sister country”.
In a statement about Borisov’s visit, Cuba’s Foreign Ministry expressed its “solidarity” with Russia in the face of “constant disinformation campaigns and propaganda warfare” by the US.
This trip came after Russian Vice Chancellor Sergei Ryabkov made statements about his country’s interest in deploying military infrastructure in Cuba and Venezuela, something that provoked a strong reaction in the West.
Díaz-Canel and Putin later spoke by phone about “bilateral trade, economic and investment cooperation”, while Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov denied that they were discussing any technical-military cooperation or the establishment of Russian bases in Cuba.
Russia delays payment of Cuban debt
Amidst this scenario, the president of the Duma (Russian lower house of parliament), Vyacheslav Volodin, arrived in Cuba this Wednesday, in the second visit by a high-ranking Russian politician in less than five days.
The trip also comes a day after the legislature ratified Havana’s $2.3 billion debt restructuring through 2027.
The National Assembly of Cuba informed that Volodin will be received by its president, Esteban Lazo, to discuss “the strengthening of bilateral cooperation and interparliamentary ties”.
The Russian delegation will then travel to Nicaragua, another of Moscow’s allied countries in the region.
The visit by both politicians demonstrates the importance that the two countries place on their bilateral relationship and on the attempt to re-establish the close cooperation they enjoyed until the demise of the Soviet Union in 1991.
Russia is one of Cuba’s ten biggest trading partners, and both define their partnership as “strategic”.
In 2014, Moscow forgave 90% of the island’s debt, valued at $35.3 billion.
Now, it has extended until 2027 the credits it gave Cuba between 2006 and 2019 to finance projects in the areas of energy, metallurgical industry and transport, as well as for the supply of goods necessary for the development of the island’s economy.
Since the beginning of 2020, Cuba has practically stopped paying and then asked to review the conditions, under which the Russian government agreed to postpone the deadline, which will also imply an additional payment of around US$ 11 million.
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