Madrid/Nothing but excellent intentions seems to have emerged from the meeting of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bruno Rodríguez, with the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, this Wednesday in Moscow. “We have always been on the side of Cuba in its fight for independence, for the right to follow its own path of development, and we have always supported the Cuban people,” said the Russian president in statements reported by the official press.
Putin insisted that his country knows “how difficult” it has been for the Island to “defend more than six decades of sovereignty, fighting for its right to live by its own rules and defend its national interests.” In addition, he highlighted that bilateral relations between Moscow and Havana are “on a positive path.” Regarding, for example, the centenary of the birth of Fidel Castro, he announced, without further details: “We will celebrate it together.”
Regarding the central issue of the surprise visit of the Cuban Foreign Minister, the critical situation due to the oil blockade that the United States has maintained since January, preventing the shipment of fuel from Venezuela and threatening with tariffs to countries that do so, he asserted, using two words of unfortunate memory for Havana: “We are in a special period, with new sanctions. You already know what we think about it. We do not accept anything of that kind.”
“Our relations are based on a strategic relationship, especially at these times that Cuba is experiencing”
Rodríguez, for his part, who conveyed greetings from Raúl Castro and President Miguel Díaz-Canel to the Russian president, thanked “in a special way” the solidarity expressed by Putin, which he described as “solid and permanent,” in the face of the “tightening of the blockade against Cuba and the energy siege that creates difficult situations for the economy.”
And he assured: “Our relations are based on a strategic relationship, especially in these moments that Cuba is experiencing. We have been working shoulder to shoulder for years. Our projects are going well and advancing in pursuit of our people.”
Before meeting Putin, the chancellor met with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrovfrom whom he did not obtain any concrete promise either, although he declared the “unrestricted support of Havana against the blockade imposed by Washington” and praised Cuba, calling it a “brother state” and appealing to “solidarity.”
The Foreign Minister, who arrived in Russia on Tuesday afternoon, will extend his agenda until this Thursday. He is accompanied on his tour by the Deputy Prime Minister, Oscar Pérez-Oliva, great-nephew of Fidel and Raúl Castro, and the Deputy Prime Minister of the Armed Forces, Roberto Legrá, among other officials.
The journey has been striking since the delegation left Havana, on February 2, aboard the Ilyushin IL-96 of Cubana de Aviación, Heading first to Vietnam and then to China. Neither nation committed to giving more than “assistance within their capabilities.”
After Beijing, and in a brief visit, the chancellor met with his Spanish counterpart, Jose Manuel Albareswhich promised to provide humanitarian aid to the Island, through the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation and Development (Aecid). Specifically, “one million euros in essential food and health products through the World Food Program (WFP) and the Pan American Health Organization.”
