Russia will never abandon or betray Cuba and plans to help the communist island cope with energy-related problems linked to the American embargo. At least that's what a Russian deputy foreign minister declared this Friday morning, following talks held in Havana.
During a press conference in the Cuban capital, Sergei Ryabkov also stated that Moscow does not intend to give up its interests in the Western Hemisphere, regardless of what the United States might say.
Ryabkov said Moscow's assistance to Cuba will go beyond the large oil shipment it sent to the island last month.
"I am convinced that recent events in our relations will lead us forward toward finding solutions to the most difficult problems... arising from the illegal and absolutely unacceptable blockade of the island by the United States," Ryabkov was quoted as saying.
"We cannot betray Cuba. That is impossible. We cannot leave it alone."
Ryabkov stated that Cuba's energy needs are a priority.
"It is still early to say what the next steps will be. But it is clear that we will not limit our supplies only to the shipment that was on board the Anatoly Kolodkin tanker," he said.
"Russia has no plans to leave the Western Hemisphere, regardless of what Washington might say," he was quoted by Reuters as saying. "They are fixated on pushing Russia and China out of the region."
He said that the U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran "make it clear that the use of force, sanctions, and political diktat does not yield the desired results."