Cuba–Russia relations

Diplomatic ties between the Soviet Union and Cuba were established after the 1959 Cuban Revolution. Cuba became dependent on Soviet markets and military aid and was a major ally of the Soviet Union during the Cold War. In 1972, Cuba joined the COMECON, an economic organization of communist countries that was dominated by the Soviet Union, which had the largest economy. ==Cuba and the Russian Federation==

with Raúl Castro in 2015. Since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, Cuba and Russia have maintained their diplomatic relations. After Vladimir Putin came to power in 2000, relations between both countries improved greatly. In December 2000, Putin visited Cuba and he along with Fidel Castro called for the lifting of the embargo on Cuba. Russia is still Cuba's leading creditor and the two countries maintain close economic ties with each other. Cuba strongly supported Russia's position in the Russo-Georgian War. In the fall of 2008, Cuba and Russia increased joint cooperation with each other in the field of economics. Russian deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin visited Cuba several times in 2008 in order to increase economic and political ties. Russia was the first country to provide aid to Cuba after three hurricanes devastated the country in the fall of 2008. The assistance provided by Russia included four planes of food, medical supplies and construction supplies. In November 2008, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev visited Cuba to strengthen economic ties and to allow Russian companies to drill for oil offshore in Cuban waters, and to allow Russian mining companies to mine nickel in Cuba. Raúl Castro traveled for a week-long visit to Moscow from January 28, 2009, to February 4, 2009. The talks included $20 million worth of credit to Havana, and 25,000 tons of grain as humanitarian aid to Cuba. , 22 November 2022 , Russia, 29 July 2023 In July 2009, Russia began oil exploration in the Gulf of Mexico after signing a deal with Cuba. Under the new agreement, Russia has also granted a loan of $150 million to buy construction and agricultural equipment. In 2013, Medvedev again visited Cuba in which he signed agreements on education, health, hydrometeorology, aeronautics and space technology. After Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in March 2014, Cuba recognized Crimea as a part of Russia. In July 2014, Vladimir Putin also visited Cuba, where he touted a decision to wipe clean 90 percent of the island's $35 billion debt to Moscow and announced deals to invest in Cuba's offshore oil industry. During the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Cuban government blamed the United States for the crisis in Ukraine and backed Russia's right to "self-defense" against NATO expansion, but did not endorse the invasion, saying the conflict should be resolved diplomatically. First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba Miguel Díaz-Canel visited Vladimir Putin in Moscow in November 2022, and the two leaders criticized "unfair" economic sanctions against Cuba and Russia. They also opened a monument to Fidel Castro in one of Moscow's districts. In January 2023 and May 2023, the two countries announced a series of agreements. Russia agreed to supply Cuba with 1.64 million tons of oil and oil products each year and assist with technology for oil exploration in the Boca de Jaruco oil deposit. In a press release, Cuba's foreign ministry said "Cuba is not part of the war in Ukraine" and that "Cuba has a firm and clear historical position against mercenaryism". First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba Miguel Díaz-Canel visited Russia in May 2025 to attend that year's Moscow Victory Day Parade marking the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union's triumph over Germany, Japan, and their client states in the Great Patriotic War. ==See also==