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Russia accused Washington last Friday of exerting "aggressive and demonstrative pressure" on Cuba with the goal of "grossly interfering in the internal affairs" of the island and "breaking Cuban statehood," according to the spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, in a press conference reported by Reuters.
"Against the backdrop of the deliberate and malicious escalation against Cuba, we reaffirm our solidarity with the Cuban government and people," said Zajárova. "We reject blackmail and threats in foreign policy, which also applies to Washington's current aggressive and demonstrative pressure on Havana."
The statements come at a time of heightened tension in U.S.-Russia relations due to the invasion of Ukraine, the Epic Fury operation in Iran, and also regarding the future of the Cuban regime, all interconnected issues on the international stage.
Donald Trump stated in mid-March that he "would have the honor of taking Cuba," and on the 27th of that month, in Miami Beach, he added: "Cuba is next, but pretend I didn't say that." The Pentagon, as revealed by in April, has quietly accelerated planning for military operations on the island.
Russian support, however, shows a significant gap between rhetoric and actual capability. Moscow has promised to "continue providing humanitarian assistance to Cuba during this difficult period of artificially heightened confrontation," but fuel shipments are far below what the island needs.
The Cuban Minister of Energy admitted that Cuba only distributes 800 tons of diesel daily, half of the 1,600 needed, and that the country requires eight fuel ships per month.
The Russian tanker Anatoly Kolodkin arrived at the port of Matanzas in late March with 730,000 barrels of crude oil. The national fuel distribution started on April 17 after its refining at the Camilo Cienfuegos Refinery, but that shipment barely covers between seven and ten days of energy supply for the whole island.
A second vessel, the Universal —sanctioned by the U.S., the European Union, and the United Kingdom— was approaching the Caribbean, escorted by a Russian frigate carrying 251,000 barrels of diesel, with an estimated arrival this Tuesday.
But not all shipments reach their destination: the tanker Sea Horse, carrying about 200,000 barrels intended for Cuba, was diverted to Trinidad and Tobago in March following the issuance of a license by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) that explicitly excluded Cuba from transactions involving Russian oil.
The Russian deputy minister Alexander Pankin acknowledged the logistical challenges and described it as "almost an adventure" to transport a ship with oil to Cuba across the Atlantic, although Russia has opened the door to additional shipments if the situation requires it.
In military terms, Chancellor Serguéi Lavrov avoided any commitment in response to Trump's threats, stating that he would not "play the fortune teller" regarding their possible consequences.
The concern in Havana has grown following these statements, which contrast with the military cooperation agreement signed between both countries in March 2025 and ratified by Putin as law in October of that year.
Zajárova concluded her speech with a phrase that summarizes Moscow's official stance: "We have always stood by Cuba in its struggle for independence, in its right to live according to its own rules, to develop on its own path, and to defend its own interests."
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