BREAKING DOWN THE BLOCKADE

Russia: one hundred per cent in solidarity with Cuba

The First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba, and President of our country Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, welcomed the vice minister of External Affairs of the Russian Federation, Sergei Ryabkov.

Alina Perera Robbio | perera@juventudrebelde.cu

April 9 2026

This Thursday, Mister Sergei Ryabkov told our president that he felt highly honored to be welcomed personally by him. Our president reminded Mr. Ryabkov of the history of our countries of mutual support saying, you are a great friend of Cuba.

From the Palace of the Revolution, our president and First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party told our visitor, visiting Cuba because of the Inter-Foreign Ministry Meeting between Cuba and the Russian Federation, the following: "In first place, let me take this opportunity to send a hug to our dear friend, President Putin, and greetings to our many friends of the Russian Federation."

Díaz-Canel explained that he wanted to thank, in the name of his Party, the government of Cuba and the Cuban people, for the shipment of fuel that your country sent us a few days ago. In my view, he explained, it is a very significant as well as a very symbolic fact, he highlighted that beyond fuel, which is very valuable to Cuba, the gesture means “Cuba is not alone.”

The aid also means that "in the midst of a complex situation countries like the Russian Federation support Cuba and show the courage to not be subdued by imperial policies.” Following his line of thought, our president expressed that their fuel support “favors a concept we are defending -that we have all the right to receive oil and that other countries have all the right to export oil to us.”

Mr. Sergei Ryabkov, vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, we want you to send a message of thanks from the Cuban President to the government of Russia, to President Putin, above all regarding the huge significance this moment has had. Díaz-Canel, trying to illustrate the importance of this support said: "This is the first and only fuel we have received in four months, receiving it has a huge meaning to us».

At another point in the exchange, our president referred to the recent participation of the Cuban Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Trade and Investment, Oscar Pérez-Oliva Fraga, in the 23rd session of the Cuba-Russia Intergovernmental Commission in St. Petersburg. Regarding that he said that "the will to move forward in all projects continues, and therefore the complete consensus we reached with President Putin is ratified."

Our president expressed that “we ratify as well our spirit of continuing strengthening our political, diplomatic, economic and commercial links with the Russian Federation. We also want to continue deepening our special relations and the need to stand united above all, during these crucial times when the world faces destabilization due to existing conflicts.”

Cuban vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gerardo Peñalver Portal, was also part of this encounter where brotherhood set the tone of the dialogue. Mr. Sergei Ryabkov expressed his perspective as follows: “Dear Comrade President, I thank you deeply for the opportunity to have this encounter. Within the Russian Federation as well as in the international community, we value as a sign of strength the special character of the relations between Havana and Moscow.”  He also thanked the program Cuba organized for him, in particular his encounter upon arrival with Cuban Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla. He added that at this moment Russia is 100 percent in solidarity with Cuba and said: “We understand perfectly the complexity of the moment that Cuba is living and we are with you.”

Translation by NSCUBA (Nova Scotia)

Below was  taken from the twitter page of Cuba's UK embassy.

The 730,000 bbls of Russian crude arriving via the Anatoly Kolodkin is an act of international solidarity against the US economic war. Yet, under maximum savings, this grants only 3–5 weeks of basic relief. The blockade of Cuba is the root of the crisis.

Pre-crisis, Cuba required 100,000 bpd. Washington’s coercive measures & persecution of our fuel supply force a survival baseline of 40,000–60,000 bpd. We resist, sustaining life-essential services alongside 35,000 bpd of domestic production, despite US hostility.

Refining this crude into 280k bbl of fuel oil, 245k bbl of diesel & 175k bbl of gasoline takes 25–35 days. The US lies when denying its punitive policies, which complicate all logistics. Relief will be gradual, as the blockade hinders every step of distribution.

The math exposes the blockade's cruelty. The diesel yield covers merely 9–12 days at a rationed 20,000 bpd. The fuel oil offers ~1 week of stable power. Through immense national effort, this solidarity shipment will be stretched across a 3–5 week rationing window.

Our priority is protecting the Cuban people. We defend vital infrastructure—hospitals, water, food—at a 30,000–40,000 bpd minimum draw. This shipment delays the humanitarian catastrophe Washington desires, but the criminal blockade prevents true normalization.

This delivery ensures just 21–35 days of stabilized operations. Without ending the illegal U.S. persecution of our energy imports, severe shortages will resume by early May. Cuba will not be starved into submission. End the coercive measures.

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