Official: Russia vows wider oil, energy support for Cuba In defiance of US pressure

Russia will not abandon Cuba and plans to expand assistance to the island as it struggles with energy shortages linked to the U.S. embargo, a senior Russian diplomat said following talks in Havana, sharpening Moscow’s rhetoric against Washington’s policy in the Western hemisphere.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov told a news conference in Havana that Moscow intends to deepen its engagement with Cuba and will not retreat from its regional interests despite U.S. objections, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

“Russia has no plans to walk away from the Western hemisphere, no matter what Washington might say,” Ryabkov was quoted as saying. “They are obsessed with pushing Russia and China out of the region.”

He added that cooperation with Havana would extend beyond recent fuel deliveries, signalling a broader effort to support Cuba’s energy sector, which has been strained by sanctions and supply constraints.

“I am certain that the events of recent weeks in our relations will have us moving forward to find solutions to the toughest problems...emerging from the illegal and absolutely unacceptable blockade of the island by the U.S.,” Ryabkov was quoted as saying.

“We cannot betray Cuba. That is out of the question. We cannot leave it on its own.”

Cuba’s energy crisis remains a central concern for Moscow, according to Ryabkov, who said further assistance beyond recent shipments is being considered.

“It is too early to say what the next steps will be. But it is clear we will not be limiting our supplies to the load that was aboard the tanker Anatoly Kolodkin,” Ryabkov said.

The remarks follow the arrival in Cuba last month of the Russia-flagged tanker Anatoly Kolodkin, which delivered around 700,000 barrels of crude oil while under U.S. sanctions. Washington has said it permitted the delivery on humanitarian grounds.

The shipment marked the first major fuel delivery to the island in recent months, as Cuba continues to grapple with severe energy shortages.

Russia has stepped up efforts to rebuild ties with Havana reminiscent of Soviet-era relations, positioning itself as a key partner in Cuba’s economic resilience strategy while sharply criticising Western sanctions policy.

“The U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran make it clear that using force, sanctions and political diktat do not produce desired results,” Ryabkov said.

The diplomatic engagement comes amid renewed high-level contacts between Moscow and Havana. Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla met Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during a visit to Moscow in February.

Moscow has repeatedly urged Washington to end what it describes as a blockade of Cuba, while the United States maintains its long-standing sanctions regime targeting the island’s economy and energy imports.

Russia’s expanded outreach to Cuba underscores its broader strategy of strengthening ties with countries outside the Western alliance system, particularly in Latin America, as geopolitical tensions with Washington continue to deepen.