Cuban Government Aims to Transform the Nation into a Logistics Hub for Eurasian Economic Union Goods

The Cuban Prime Minister, Manuel Marrero Cruz, reaffirmed the government's "unwavering commitment" to establishing Cuba as a logistics hub for the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU). This initiative seeks to facilitate the distribution of products to Latin America and the Caribbean. According to Marrero, the proposal includes studies highlighting mutual benefits such as more competitive pricing and faster operations, while also boosting Cuba's industrial capacity to process Eurasian raw materials into higher value-added goods.

During a virtual appearance at the Intergovernmental Economic Council of the EEU, Marrero emphasized the potential benefits for sectors like metallurgy, chemistry, fertilizers, food production, transportation, energy, health, and biotechnology. He also announced the formation of a bilateral logistics committee between the Cuban Chamber of Commerce and the EEU Business Council. Furthermore, he disclosed plans for a fourth joint commission between Havana and the EEU later this year, aimed at approving a collaboration plan for 2025-2030 in trade, investment, and cooperation.

The Prime Minister encouraged EEU companies to attend the upcoming Havana International Fair, scheduled from November 24 to 29. In his address, Marrero reiterated that the U.S. embargo is the "main obstacle" to Cuba's economic development and expressed gratitude to EEU states for supporting the call to lift these sanctions. While portraying Cuba as a willing partner ready to "build bridges," the regime continues to rely heavily on external political and economic alliances, without presenting a clear strategy to tackle the island's severe internal challenges.

In late June, Cuban leader Miguel Díaz-Canel proposed creating a logistics hub in Cuba to facilitate the distribution of EEU member countries' goods to Latin America and the Caribbean. During the plenary session of the IV Eurasian Economic Forum in Minsk, Belarus, held on June 26 and 27, Díaz-Canel suggested leveraging the potential of a special economic zone west of Havana as the base for this project. He envisioned the Cuban capital becoming a vital connection point for goods transiting between Eurasia and Latin America.

During Díaz-Canel's visit to Belarus, it was announced that a tractor factory committed to supplying at least 50 agricultural machinery units to Cuba by the end of 2025, amidst the island's severe economic crisis and challenges in the agricultural sector to ensure basic food supplies. The EEU includes Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Russia, with Cuba participating as an observer state since December 11, 2020.

Also in late June, it was revealed that Russia and Cuba are progressing in a new strategic partnership to establish a joint logistics center in the Special Development Zone of Mariel (ZEDM), located 45 kilometers west of Havana. This location could place the island at the center of Russian trade with Latin America, while raising questions about sovereignty, dependence, and actual benefits for the Cuban population.

The announcement was confirmed by official Russian sources following the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF 2025). Tatyana Mashkova, president of the Russian National Committee for Economic Cooperation with Latin America, noted that both parties are "working in parallel" to set up this center at Cuba's most significant deep-water port. The ZEDM, strategically positioned at the Gulf of Mexico's entrance, already boasts modern infrastructure, including a container terminal, free trade zone, and railway connections. It also offers tax exemptions that have attracted several Russian companies, even amidst the U.S. embargo.

The project's stated aim is to streamline trade flows between Moscow and Latin America, using Cuba as a regional bridge. Mashkova mentioned that financial cooperation avenues are also being explored, backed by the Russian Export Center, which could lower logistical barriers and facilitate bilateral operations. Additionally, the Cuban government has offered 50 hectares within the ZEDM for an industrial park dedicated to the EEU, which would be leased for 50 years, with an option for extension.

This project in the ZEDM is marketed as a development engine, but for most Cubans, the real question is whether it will result in anything beyond official speeches: poorly paid jobs, unaffordable prices, and empty promises. Concerns are growing about Russia's increasing influence in the island's economy and politics, further entrenching the external dependency of a regime with dwindling financial support and no solutions to the internal crisis.