Putin: Russia Considers New US Restrictions on Cuba Unacceptable

Moscow (ANTARA) - Russia has always supported Cuba and considers new restrictions against the country unacceptable, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday (18/2) during a meeting with Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla.

According to Putin, Russia and Cuba share a special relationship shaped by history, and Moscow has consistently supported the Cuban people in their struggle for independence and their right to pursue their own path of development.

Putin also stated that bilateral relations between the two countries are generally developing in a positive direction, and expressed his confidence that the meeting would provide an opportunity to discuss the relationship in detail.

Earlier on Wednesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov revealed that his country was calling on the United States to refrain from imposing a naval blockade on Cuba.

On 29 January, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order threatening to impose tariffs on goods exported to the US from countries that supply oil to Cuba. The Cuban government subsequently announced a series of measures, including restricting fuel purchases, in response to the new phase of the US oil blockade.