Putin meets top Cuban diplomat amid US blockade

The Russian president has condemned Donald Trump’s pressure campaign against the island

Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla in the Kremlin and affirmed support for the island amid an escalating US blockade.

Cuba is grappling with one of its worst energy crises in years after an oil embargo and other US restrictions sharply reduced fuel imports and exacerbated shortages. The island has experienced severe blackouts and fuel scarcity as a result of Washington’s pressure campaign, including threats of tariffs on countries that continue to supply oil.

During the meeting on Wednesday, Putin hailed the longstanding “special relations” between the two countries.

“We have always supported Cuba in its fight for independence and for the right to develop in accordance with its own path. We have always supported the Cuban people,” Putin said.

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Putin condemned the US restrictions on Cuba’s economy as “completely unacceptable,” saying Russia opposes them “clearly and unequivocally.”

According to the Kremlin, Parrilla thanked Russia for its “extraordinary and unwavering solidarity” and support during challenging times.

Last week, the Russian Embassy in Havana said Moscow was preparing to send a delivery of oil and petroleum products to Cuba to help address the shortages.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova condemned renewed US pressure on Havana as an attempt at “economic strangulation,” and China has also expressed support for Cuba’s “national sovereignty and security.”

Last month, US President Donald Trump declared a national emergency in relations with Cuba, accusing its socialist government of aligning with “hostile countries, transnational terrorist groups, and malign actors,” and saying economic pressure would force Cuban leadership to “come to us and want to make a deal.”

Trump described Cuba’s ties with Russia, China, Iran, the Palestinian armed group Hamas, and the Lebanese-based group Hezbollah as posing a national security threat.

Miguel Diaz-Canel has denounced Trump’s demands and said he was ready for dialogue “on the basis of equality and respect.”