MIAMI, United States. – Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu announced Tuesday that his country will grant new lines of credit to the Cuban regime in order to help it deal with economic difficulties allegedly caused by the U.S. embargo.
“Russia will take additional measures to support Havana, in particular by granting new lines of credit,” Shoigu said during a meeting with Cuban Interior Minister Lazaro Alberto Alvarez in St. Petersburg, according to EFE news agency report.
Shoigu, who served as Russian Defense Minister, stressed that relations between Moscow and Havana have been long-lasting and solid. “Cuba is one of Russia’s closest allies in the world, Latin America and our relations have stood the test of time,” the Russian official stressed.
During the meeting, Shoigu also stressed his government’s willingness to intensify cooperation in various sectors, including the security sphere. “We are ready to increase cooperation within the framework of security councils, special services and police departments,” he said.
The strengthening of economic ties between the Russian and Cuban regimes has been evident in recent years, with initiatives ranging from opening credit lines for the purchase of essential products to sending donations. Among the most relevant agreements are those that allow the Island to acquire wheat, oil and fertilizers of Russian origin, according to EFE.
In recent months, relations between the two nations have also been strengthened in the military sphere. In June of this year, three ships and a nuclear submarine of the Russian Navy arrived in Havanain whose port they remained for five days.
Amid the international uproar, the Cuban regime’s Ministry of the Armed Forces (MINFAR) specified that “none of the ships” carried nuclear weapons and indicated that the visit was in line “with the historic relations of friendship between Cuba and the Russian Federation” and was “strictly in accordance with the international regulations of which Cuba is a State Party.”
Almost a year ago, in July 2023, Havana also received the training ship Perekopbelonging to the Baltic Fleet of the Russian Navy, which remained anchored on the island for three days.
Following the announcement of the Perekop trip to Havana, the regime’s Prime Minister, Manuel Marrero Cruz, said that both Russia and Cuba were faced with “the task of raising trade and economic relations to the level of political relations, which are very strong.”
The Cuban and Russian regimes have intensified their relations in the last five years, with the signing of projects in various areas such as trade, culture, politics and business. Havana, for its part, has unconditionally supported Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
