The Cuban Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, and the Russian Minister, Serguéi Lavrov, met this Wednesday in New York on the sidelines of the High-Level Week of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly, as confirmed by both foreign ministries on their social media.
The meeting takes place just 24 hours after President Donald Trump described Cuba as an "absolutely failed state" before the General Assembly and asserted that the regime "will fall," statements that led to the immediate withdrawal of the Cuban delegation from the room.
The Cuban Foreign Ministry described the space as "conducive to exchanging views on the excellent state of the strategic and multifaceted bilateral ties," in a statement that publicly reaffirms Havana's closeness to Moscow in the same context where Washington denounces that alliance.
Rodríguez had responded to Trump, labeling his words as "falsehoods" and "slander", and announced that he would provide a formal response at the General Assembly on Friday, September 26.
The meeting with Lavrov carries a symbolic weight that is hard to ignore: the Cuban regime is strengthening its ties with Moscow in the same forum where the United States accuses it of harboring "sophisticated military and intelligence capabilities" from Russia and China on the island, according to a fact sheet from the State Department.
This Wednesday, Lavrov also met with Secretary of State Marco Rubio in New York, with Ukraine as the central topic, illustrating the diplomatic intensity of the day and Russia's role as a key player on multiple fronts simultaneously.
The meeting on U.S. soil is the latest in a series of high-level contacts between Cuba and Russia throughout 2026.
In February, Rodríguez traveled to Moscow, where he met with Lavrov and President Vladimir Putin, who confirmed support for the Cuban regime.
Both foreign ministers held phone conversations in March and met again in May on the sidelines of the BRICS foreign ministers' meeting in New Delhi, where Russia promised political and material support to Cuba.
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