MOSCOW, Feb 9 (Reuters) – Russia said on Monday the fuel situation in Cuba was critical and US attempts to “focus” the island’s economy were causing many difficulties, vowing to act against any kind of military intervention and expressing Moscow’s solidarity with Cuba and Venezuela.
Cuba detailed its plans to navigate the growing crisis on Friday including protecting essential services and rationing fuel, as the Communist-led government dug in its heels in defiance of a US effort to cut off oil supplies.
The administration of American President Donald Trump has declared Cuba an “unusual and extraordinary threat” to the national security of the United States and said it will no longer receive oil from Venezuela after the American operation to capture its leader Nicolas Maduro last month. It has threatened to impose tariffs on other suppliers such as Mexico if they continue to send fuel to the island.
“The situation in Cuba is indeed critical. We are aware of this. We are maintaining intensive contacts with our Cuban friends through diplomatic and other channels,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
Russia is trying to restore its own battered ties with the United States as Trump seeks a deal to end its war in Ukraine. But the Kremlin made it clear that it was not happy with Washington’s treatment of Cuba.
“The suffocating tactics employed by the United States are indeed causing many difficulties for the country. We are discussing with our Cuban friends possible ways to solve these problems, or at least to provide all possible help,” Peskov said.
Peskov was answering a question about the lack of jet fuel and whether this could affect Russian tourists who want to leave Cuba, a longtime ally of Moscow.
Cuba has warned international airlines that jet fuel will no longer be available on the island starting Tuesday. Air Canada said on Monday that it was suspending flights to Cuba.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, in a message marking the day of diplomatic workers in Russia, said that Moscow sought to build relations with developing countries.
“The focus remains on the fight against neo-colonial practices, from unilateral coercive measures to military interventions,” Lavrov wrote on his ministry’s website.
“In this context, we reaffirm our solidarity with the people of Venezuela and Cuba. We are convinced that only they can determine their own destiny.”
Russia’s ambassador to Cuba, Viktor Coronelli, told state news agency RIA last week that Moscow had repeatedly supplied oil to Cuba in recent years, and would continue to do so.
(Reporting by Reuters, Writing by Felix LightEditing by Andrew Osborn and Ron Popeski)