Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov urged the Trump Administration on Wednesday to demonstrate common sense and a responsible approach, and to refrain from its plans to impose a naval military blockade on Cuba. He made these remarks during a meeting in Moscow with his Cuban counterpart, Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, where they also discussed other issues related to relations between the two nations and the international situation.
Bruno Rodríguez is on a working visit to the Russian capital, reaffirming bilateral cooperation in an international context marked by tensions and sanctions, particularly a tightening of unilateral restrictive measures by Washington to stifle the Cuban economy, destabilize the country, and provoke a change in the political regime.
Lavrov denounced that, after more than six decades of the US economic, commercial, and financial blockade of Cuba, Washington is currently “threatening to intensify its illegitimate and inhumane actions” against the Caribbean nation.
In addition to reiterating Russia’s full solidarity with Cuba, Lavrov stressed that Moscow will continue “consistently providing our support to Cuba and the Cuban people in the defense of the country’s sovereignty and security.”
He demanded that the US seek solutions through respectful dialogue and not through force. He rejected Washington’s accusations that Russia’s relations with Cuba pose a threat to U.S. security.
During the meeting, Bruno Rodríguez reiterated that Cuba remains committed to fulfilling the agreements signed with Russia, despite the challenges arising from the intensification of the U.S. economic war.
The island’s top diplomat emphasized that Cuba is willing to engage in dialogue with any country based on mutual respect. “We, as always, will defend our independence and sovereignty with unwavering determination, maintain our unwavering course of seeking greater economic efficiency, work tirelessly, as we have been doing, to recover our economy, and at the same time, we will always be ready for respectful dialogue on equal terms with any country,” he stated.
The Cuban foreign minister also denounced Washington for adopting “new practices that violate international law,” which, in his view, represent a direct threat to the sovereignty of states.
The Cuban delegation is carrying out an agenda that includes a meeting with the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, the Kremlin confirmed. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova previously announced that the two foreign ministers would hold discussions to address the state of bilateral relations and the international situation.
The meeting comes weeks after US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on January 29 authorizing the imposition of tariffs on countries that supply oil to Cuba.
In the same decree, Washington declared a “national emergency,” alleging that the island poses a threat to US national security.
These measures are part of a package of actions aimed at restricting energy flows to Havana, at a time when the Caribbean nation is facing severe limitations in fuel supplies and in strategic sectors of its economy.
From Moscow, Russian authorities have repeatedly expressed their willingness to expand cooperation with Cuba in areas such as energy, trade, and investment, in what both sides describe as a historic relationship based on mutual respect and non-interference.
IMAGE CREDIT: Foreign ministers of Russia and Cuba
During the meeting with Rodríguez Parrilla, Lavrov denounced that, after more than six decades of the US blockade against Cuba, Washington is now “threatening to intensify its illegitimate and inhumane actions” against the Caribbean nation
Photo: Russian Foreign Ministry
[ SOURCE: teleSUR ]
