Russian response: New Cuba deal in port

 

Cuba 

Russian ship docks in Cuba 

 

"Opposes NATO's expansion"

Peter Schwartz  

 

Published 2023-07-14 18:45  

 

News  

 

A Russian naval ship docked in the port of Havana on Tuesday and will stay for four days.  

 

The visit is one of several recent events that indicate a warming of former alliances.  

 

- We are ready to help the island of freedom and extend a hand to our Cuban friends, said Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.  

 

Cannon fire rang out over Havana on Tuesday when the Russian naval ship Perekop arrived in the port city. The russian ship will perform a "series of different activities" for four days and the public will have the chance to board.  

 

It is the first Russian official visit in several years and a new sign that the countries are now warming up the old alliance from the Cold War, writes CNN. Cuba has defended Russia several times since the full-scale invasion on February 24 last year.  

 

- We condemn and oppose NATO's expansion towards Russian borders, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel told Russian state media Russia Today in an interview in May, according to CNN.  

 

Despite the costs of the war, Russia remains committed to strengthening relations with Cuba.  

 

- Cuba has been and continues to be Russia's most important ally in the region. We are ready to extend a hand to our Cuban friends, Shoigu said during a meeting with Cuban Defense Minister Alvaro Lopez Miera in Moscow in June.  

 

The Russian ship Perekop. Photo: Wikipedia Commons 

 

A Cuban sailor walks past the Russian naval ship Perekop in Havana harbor. Photo: Ramon Espinosa/AP  

 

Warms up old relationships  

 

Several agreements have been concluded between the countries. Among other things, Russia will be allowed to lease land in Cuba for up to 30 years, develop tourist facilities on Havana's nearby beach, open a grocery store with Russian products and support the country with fuel.  

 

Jorge R. Piñon, researcher at the University of Texas, told CNN that Russia sent $167 million worth of oil to the country in 2023. More than any other year since the fall of the Soviet Union.  

 

During the Cold War, the Soviet Union stationed thousands of diplomats, spies and military advisers on the island. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Cuba lost its main trading partner and entered a deep economic depression. Since then, the country has looked at Russia with "deep nostalgia", writes CNN.  

Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel during a meeting in Moscow. Photo: Alexander Nemenov / AP 

"Ignored in Cuba"  

 

Former US President Barack Obama tried to restore diplomatic relations with Cuba and eased economic sanctions against the country. But with Donald Trump at the helm, the relationship cooled again and current President Joe Biden has not done much to change things, writes CNN. 

 

- It seems that the US under Trump and Biden has neglected the country, says Ric Herrero, chairman of the Cuban Study Group.  

 

And relations between the United States and Cuba continue to be chilly. 

 

On Tuesday, the Cuban government criticized the United States for operating a submarine equipped with nuclear weapons at the Guantanamo US naval base. The three-day stay was called "a provoked escalation".