Russia delivered more than 750 tons of refined sunflower oil, enriched with vitamins A and D, to Cuba this Friday, in a ceremony held at a warehouse in Havana with the presence of officials from both countries and representatives of the World Food Programme (WFP) of the UN.
According to a publication by the Russian Embassy in Cuba on their social media, the donation is coming through the Russian Ministry of Emergencies as part of Moscow's contribution to the WFP, and is intended exclusively for the most vulnerable sectors of the population: children, the elderly, and pregnant women.
The event was attended by the Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Trade, Óscar Pérez-Oliva Fraga; the Minister of Domestic Trade, Betsy Díaz Velázquez; and the representative of the WFP in Cuba, Etienne Labande.
The Russian ambassador Víctor Koronelli led the Moscow delegation and took the opportunity during the event to make political statements, describing the delivery as "yet another demonstration of the historical ties of friendship and solidarity between the brotherly peoples of Russia and Cuba," and attributing the current difficulties of the Island to what he termed the "unprecedented intensification of the economic, trade, and financial blockade, and now the energy siege imposed by the United States government."
The boxes and bottles of the donation—packaged in one-liter presentations, 15 per box—are printed with the labels "Donation from the Russian Federation" and "NOT FOR SALE OR EXCHANGE," alongside the PMA logo.
This delivery occurs in the context of a severe food crisis in Cuba, exacerbated by blackouts, shortages, and declining production.
An independent survey presented in May 2026 revealed that 33.9% of Cuban households reported that a member went to bed hungry, and 94.9% stated that they had lost some level of access to food purchases in the 12 months prior.
The PMA assisted about 500,000 people in Cuba between January and March of this year, and more than 800,000 affected by Hurricane Melissa and the energy crisis until June, according to data from the organization itself.
This is not the first time that Russia has provided this type of aid. In 2025, it delivered over 800 tons of sunflower oil, and in April 2026, another 650 tons valued at nearly three million dollars.
Russian contributions to the PMA for Cuba have totaled over 15 million dollars since 2018, which represents 32% of the 57.9 million executed by the organization on the Island during the 2021-2025 cycle.
However, these deliveries have not been without controversy: in 2021, some of the Russian oil appeared for sale in Cuban state stores, although authorities explained that the WFP and the embassy had authorized the temporary use of 150 tons as a loan due to a breakdown in a packaging line.
Koronelli reaffirmed on his social media account X that Moscow's commitment to Havana will continue: "We will continue to support our sister Republic of Cuba both bilaterally and through international organizations."
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