A high-ranking Russian official declared Friday that Moscow remains committed to supporting Cuba and will continue providing energy assistance to help the island nation overcome challenges created by U.S. sanctions.
Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov made the statements during a press briefing in Havana following diplomatic discussions, according to Russian news outlets. He emphasized that Russia has no plans to retreat from its regional interests regardless of American objections.
The Russian official indicated that Moscow’s assistance would extend beyond the recent major oil shipment delivered to Cuba last month.
“I am certain that the events of recent weeks in our relations will have us moving forward to find solutions to the toughest problems…emerging from the illegal and absolutely unacceptable blockade of the island by the U.S.,” Ryabkov stated.
“We cannot betray Cuba. That is out of the question. We cannot leave it on its own.”
According to Ryabkov, addressing Cuba’s energy requirements remains a top priority for Russian policy.
“It is too early to say what the next steps will be. But it is clear we will not be limiting our supplies to the load that was aboard the tanker Anatoly Kolodkin,” he explained.
“Russia has no plans to walk away from the Western hemisphere, no matter what Washington might say,” news agencies reported him stating. “They are obsessed with pushing Russia and China out of the region.”
The diplomat also referenced recent U.S. and Israeli military actions against Iran, saying they “make it clear that using force, sanctions and political diktat do not produce desired results.”
Last month, the sanctioned Russian vessel Anatoly Kolodkin delivered approximately 700,000 barrels of crude oil to Cuba, marking the first major fuel shipment since Washington implemented measures to restrict the island’s energy supplies.
U.S. officials stated they permitted the tanker’s delivery on humanitarian grounds.
Moscow has been working to restore the strong relationship it maintained with Cuba during the Soviet period and has called on Washington to end its economic blockade of the island.
In February, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez traveled to Moscow for meetings with President Vladimir Putin and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov.
