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European parliamentarians from the Conservative and Reformist group, along with the Assembly of the Cuban Resistance (ARC), denounced during a hearing in Brussels the presence of military personnel from the Havana regime in Ukraine and demanded the immediate cessation of European Union funding to the Cuban dictatorship.
According to Martí Noticias, the meeting was described as “a demonstration of European and Latin American unity against the Castro-communist interference in the war of Russia against Ukraine,” stated Orlando Gutiérrez-Boronat, coordinator of the ARC, who deemed the session “a decisive diplomatic defeat for the dictatorship.”
U.S. Congress members Carlos Giménez and Mario Díaz-Balart, along with Florida state senator Alexis Calatayud, sent messages of support questioning the role of the European Union for maintaining financial assistance to Havana despite evidence of its military involvement in international conflicts.
"Since Fidel Castro seized power in 1959, the dictatorship has sent mercenaries and forces in the service of Moscow," expressed Giménez.
"From Algeria to Syria, from Ethiopia to Angola, and now in Venezuela and Ukraine, Cuban troops have supported every Russian military venture. Why does the European Union continue to fund the interventionist Cuban dictatorship?" he questioned.
Díaz-Balart, for his part, thanked his European colleagues for taking measures against the influence of what he called "narcodictatorships" in the hemisphere, warning that they pose a threat to both the national security of the United States and that of Europe.
The Republican lawmaker also denounced the presence of "hundreds of Cuban mercenaries in Europe, killing Ukrainians in support of Putin," and criticized allies who "continue to grant concessions, credits, and legitimacy" to the regimen in Havana.
Senator Calatayud described the Cuban government as "Moscow's main ally in its genocidal war against Ukraine."
“Cuban troops are in Venezuela, Ukraine, and Belarus, implementing Russia's expansionist policies. How can the European Union continue to finance a regime that brutalizes its own people?” he asked.
The reports coincided with statements from Oleg Ivashchenko, head of Ukraine's Foreign Intelligence Service, who at the end of December identified Cuba as one of the main sources for Russia's recruitment of mercenaries.
“Russia continues to systematically involve foreign citizens in the war against Ukraine. In December alone, more than 150 foreigners from 25 countries were identified in the Russian army, and another 200 are preparing to join their ranks,” stated Ivashchenko.
The island is listed alongside Belarus, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kenya, and China as one of the largest suppliers of fighters for Moscow.
Ukrainian intelligence sources estimate that between 1,000 and 20,000 Cubans may have been recruited by Russian forces since mid-2023.
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