The spokesperson for the Kremlin, Dmitri Peskov, stated this Wednesday that Russia considers it unacceptable for any country to threaten to invade Cuba, in an interview with the Indian channel India Today that generated widespread international repercussions.
The statements come just days after President Donald Trump claimed from the White House last Monday that his administration could proceed to Cuba after dealing with Iran, referring to Washington's military operation against that country.
"Cuba has been a partner of the Russian Federation for many years and a dear friend. We do not want any country to invade Cuba, to pressure Cuba, or to isolate Cuba from the outside world, preventing even medicines from reaching Cuban children," Peskov stated.
The Russian presidential spokesperson referred to the crisis affecting the Island: "Children are dying in hospitals without electricity or medicine. That is unacceptable."
When asked about the objectives the United States pursues in Cuba and Venezuela, he preferred to refer the matter directly to Trump, whom he described as "extremely open with the press and very detailed in his explanations."
In the same interview, Peskov also referred to Venezuela, noting that Moscow maintains active contacts with Caracas and hopes to continue joint projects.
"We maintain relations with the leaders of Venezuela; we have many joint projects on the agenda and hope to continue them," he stated, adding that Russia expects "good faith competition, fair competition among the companies present in the Venezuelan market."
Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, at the end of his official visit to China on the same day, avoided making predictions about Trump's threats against Cuba. "I don't intend to play the fortuneteller because we have often heard statements from Washington, and many of these did not materialize into practical actions," he stated before the Russian press in Beijing.
Lavrov did reaffirm Moscow's support for Havana: "Russia and China provide Cuba with political support in the United Nations and other forums, as well as economic and humanitarian assistance, and I have no doubt that we will continue to grant that support."
The head of Russian diplomacy also expressed hope that "the United States will not return to the times of direct colonial wars or subjugate free peoples."
Crisis in Cuba
The statements from both Russian officials are set against the backdrop of an energy crisis in Cuba.
Since January, the Island lost its two main external fuel suppliers: Venezuela, following the capture of Nicolás Maduro by U.S. forces on January 3, and Mexico, which suspended its sales on the 27th of that same month.
On January 29, Trump signed Executive Order 14380, declaring Cuba an "extraordinary threat to national security" and imposing tariffs on countries that supply it with oil, further exacerbating the energy blockade against the Caribbean nation.
Russia, a strong ally of the Castro regime, has responded with a supportive stance. On March 30, Trump exceptionally allowed the arrival of the Russian tanker Anatoly Kolodkin with 730,000 barrels of crude oil to Cuba.
Last Tuesday, it was reported that a second sanctioned Russian ship is approaching the Caribbean and is about 15 days away from Cuba.
On April 6, the UN warned that the lack of fuel is preventing the distribution of 6.3 million dollars in humanitarian aid already in Cuba, with 170 containers stuck in the country unable to reach the population.
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