Lavrov Expresses "Resolute Support" for Cuba in Call With Foreign Minister Rodríguez

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov held a phone conversation Thursday with Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez, according to a statement published on the Russian Foreign Ministry's official website. The call was initiated by the Cuban side.

During the exchange, the two ministers addressed key aspects of bilateral relations and pressing items on the international agenda. "Lavrov reaffirmed the principled stance on the unacceptability of the economic and political pressure exerted by the United States on Cuba. He expressed resolute support for the Cuban people in defending state sovereignty and the right to choose their own path of development," the ministry's communiqué reads.

The ministers also reviewed the schedule for upcoming Russian-Cuban engagements, including the 23rd session of the intergovernmental commission on trade, economic, scientific, and technical cooperation.

The call comes amid heightened tensions following a January 29 executive order signed by U.S. President Donald Trump, which declared a "national emergency" over what the White House described as an "unusual and extraordinary threat" posed by Cuba to U.S. and regional security. The order accused the Cuban government of aligning with hostile nations, harboring transnational terrorist groups including Hamas and Hezbollah, and allowing Russia and China to deploy advanced military and intelligence capabilities on the island.

On the basis of those allegations, Washington announced the imposition of tariffs on countries selling oil to Cuba, along with threats of reprisals against nations acting in contravention of the executive order. Trump subsequently acknowledged that his administration had been holding contacts with Havana, indicating a desire to reach an agreement, while referring to Cuba as a "decaying nation" that "no longer has Venezuela" to rely on for support.

These developments unfold against the backdrop of the decades-long U.S. economic and commercial blockade against Cuba, now reinforced by a series of additional coercive and unilateral measures from the current administration.