Russia Rejects Economic and Military Pressure on Cuba

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held a telephone conversation with his Cuban counterpart, Bruno Rodríguez, on Monday, the Russian Foreign Ministry reported.

"The Russian side confirmed its principled position regarding the unacceptability of exerting economic and military pressure on Cuba, including the blockade of energy supplies to the island, which could provoke a serious deterioration of the economic and humanitarian situation in the country," the ministry's statement notes.

In this context, Moscow expressed its "firm readiness to continue providing Cuba with the necessary political and material support."

Conversation Amid Escalating US Threats
The conversation took place amid the intensification of threats from US President Donald Trump against the Caribbean nation.

The White House occupant signed an executive order on January 29 declaring a "national emergency" in the face of the alleged "unusual and extraordinary threat" that, according to Washington, Cuba would pose to the security of the United States and the region. The text accuses the Cuban government of aligning with "numerous hostile countries," of hosting "transnational terrorist groups" such as Hamas and Hezbollah, and of allowing the deployment on the island of "sophisticated military and intelligence capabilities" from Russia and China.

Cuban and US Statements
From Havana, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel stated: "This new measure exposes the fascist, criminal, and genocidal nature of a clique that has hijacked the interests of the American people for purely personal purposes."

Subsequently, Trump acknowledged that his Administration maintains contacts with the Caribbean nation. The president recently told the press that they are "talking to the people of Cuba, the highest officials of Cuba," and expressed his conviction that "we're going to make a deal with Cuba," although he described the Caribbean country as "a nation in decline" that "no longer has Venezuela to support it."