Assembly comes as White Home says it needs to see ‘dramatic adjustments very quickly’ in Cuba, calls authorities ‘failing’.
Printed On 18 Feb 2026
Russian President Vladimir Putin has slammed new restrictions imposed by the United States on Cuba as “unacceptable”, as he met Cuban International Minister Bruno Rodriguez within the Kremlin, Russian state information companies reported.
“This can be a particular interval, with new sanctions,” Putin mentioned on Wednesday, in line with Russian state-owned information company TASS. “You understand how we really feel about this. We don’t settle for something like this.”
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In separate talks with Rodriguez, Russian International Minister Sergey Lavrov mentioned Moscow is urging the US to not impose a full naval blockade on the island, advocating negotiations as a substitute.
Lavrov known as on Washington to “present sound judgement and a accountable strategy, and chorus from plans to impose a naval blockade” on Cuba, in line with TASS.
He additionally mentioned Moscow “categorically rejects” that cooperation between Russia and Cuba could also be seen to pose a menace to the US or different nations.
Rodriguez expressed concern about Washington’s actions, which he mentioned threatened the sovereignty of all nations.
Cuba will proceed to “resolutely transfer ahead in defending its independence and sovereignty”, and search options for its economic system, he added, in line with TASS.
Rodriguez additionally mentioned Havana would “all the time be prepared for a respectful dialogue on equal phrases with any nation” and honour its agreements with Moscow, regardless of the difficulties.
The island nation of 11 million is staggering underneath the yoke of major fuel shortages after US President Donald Trump signed an government order on January 29 authorising the imposition of commerce tariffs on imports of oil from third nations to Cuba.
United Nations specialists have condemned the move, describing it as “unilateral financial coercion with extraterritorial results”.
‘Dramatic adjustments very quickly’
The White Home mentioned on Wednesday it’s in Cuba’s finest curiosity to make vital adjustments quickly, however stopped in need of calling for a change in authorities management there.
“They’re a regime that’s falling. Their nation is collapsing and that’s why we consider it’s of their finest curiosity to make very dramatic adjustments very quickly,” White Home Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt advised reporters.
Dmitry Peskov, Putin’s spokesman, was quoted by TASS as saying that Moscow didn’t talk about the Cuba concern with Washington throughout trilateral peace talks in Geneva earlier on Wednesday.
He insisted that Russia values its relations with Cuba and intends to “additional develop them, in fact, throughout tough instances, by offering acceptable help to our pals.”
Requested whether or not sending gas to Cuba might derail a current warming of ties with Washington, Peskov responded, “We don’t suppose these points are linked.”
Venezuela, considered one of Cuba’s most important oil suppliers, stopped promoting crude to the island in January after the US captured then-President Nicolas Maduro in a predawn raid and flew him to New York to face drug trafficking costs.
Mexico additionally lower off oil shipments to Cuba in January, after Trump threatened to impose tariffs.
