The spokesperson for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maria Zakharova, declared this Thursday that Russia "maintains contact with Cuba on all matters of interest to our two countries."
In response to a question from Reuters about whether the Cuban regime had requested military assistance from Moscow, Zajárova was deliberately ambiguous, refraining from confirming or denying a specific request for military aid, but reaffirmed Moscow's full solidarity with Havana at a time of heightened tension between Washington and the regime of Miguel Díaz-Canel.
Moreover, Zajárova categorically denied a report from Axios that claimed that Cuba had acquired over 300 military drones from Russia and Iran since 2023, with possible plans to use them against the naval base in Guantanamo, U.S. military vessels, and possibly Key West, Florida.
The Russian spokesperson described that report as "fiction" within the context of an "information war."
The report from Axios, published last Sunday and based on U.S. classified intelligence, also indicated that up to 5,000 Cuban soldiers may have fought for Russia in Ukraine, with Moscow paying about $25,000 for each deployed combatant, and that some may have passed on knowledge about drone warfare to military leaders in Havana.
Zajárova took advantage of the press conference to condemn Washington's pressure on the island and reaffirm Russia's support for the regime.
“Cuba continues to be subjected to brutal economic pressure from the United States,” he denounced.
The diplomat described the sanctions imposed by the Trump administration in early May as part of an attempt at "economic strangulation" of the island and characterized Washington's policies as "a cynical embodiment of a revived Monroe Doctrine."
"We reaffirm our full solidarity with Cuba and strongly condemn any attempt at blatant interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign state, intimidation, and the use of illegal restrictive measures, threats, and blackmail," he concluded.
Russian statements come just a day after Trump warned that the United States will not tolerate Cuba as a state harboring hostile operations just ninety miles from its territory, in a presidential message issued on the occasion of Cuba's Independence Day.
Politico reported on May 19 that the Pentagon and Southern Command had begun planning military scenarios against Cuba, ranging from targeted airstrikes to a ground invasion.
The Russian support for the Cuban regime has a formal legal basis: in March 2025, both governments signed an intergovernmental agreement for military cooperation, ratified by Putin as law on October 15, 2025.
On May 15, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov promised "political, diplomatic, and material support" to Cuba during his meeting with Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla on the sidelines of the BRICS foreign ministers' summit in New Delhi.
Russian analysts have pointed out, however, that Moscow—immersed in the war in Ukraine—can only offer real political support to Havana, lacking the capability for an economic or military rescue comparable to that of the Soviet era.
Filed under: