Russia rejects economic and military pressure on Cuba and warns against further deterioration of the situation on the island. US President Trump has threatened new tariffs on oil imports.
According to Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Russia considers economic and military pressure on Cuba unacceptable. The head of Russian diplomacy emphasized this in a telephone conversation with his Cuban counterpart Bruno Rodríguez in connection with threats from the United States. This was reported by the AFP agency, writes TASR.
US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday threatening to impose additional tariffs on imports from countries that sell oil to Cuba. The day after that, Cubans stood in long lines at gas stations in Havana.
Economic crisis in Cuba
The Caribbean island nation is currently experiencing its worst economic crisis in decades. Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel therefore condemned Trump’s move as an attempt to “suffocate” the Cuban economy. Similarly, on the social network, Rodríguez described the threat of the head of the White House as a “brutal act of aggression” against Cuba and its people.
In a phone call with the Cuban minister, Lavrov reiterated that “economic and military pressure on Cuba, including the interruption of energy supplies to the island, is unacceptable.” According to him, due to the interruption of supplies, the economic and humanitarian situation in Cuba threatens to worsen. Lavrov also reiterated “Moscow’s firm commitment to continue providing the necessary political and material support to Cuba,” AFP reported.
Tension in relations with the USA
Tensions between Cuba and the United States escalated further after US special forces detained and deported Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in early January. It was Venezuela that was the key source of oil exports to Cuba.
