The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, Maria Zakharova, announced on Thursday that Russia is maintaining dialogue with Cuba across all matters of mutual concern.
In response to a Reuters inquiry regarding whether the Cuban government had requested military assistance from Moscow, Zakharova was intentionally vague. She neither confirmed nor denied any specific request for military aid but emphasized Moscow's unwavering support for Havana amid heightened tensions between Washington and the regime led by Miguel Díaz-Canel.
Moreover, Zakharova outright denied an Axios report alleging that Cuba had acquired over 300 military drones from Russia and Iran since 2023, with potential plans to use them against the Guantanamo naval base, U.S. military ships, and potentially Key West, Florida.
The Russian spokesperson dismissed the report as "fiction" within the context of an "information war."
Axios' report, published last Sunday and based on classified U.S. intelligence, also suggested that up to 5,000 Cuban soldiers had fought for Russia in Ukraine. It claimed Moscow paid approximately $25,000 for each deployed combatant and that some had shared drone warfare expertise with military leaders in Havana.
During the press briefing, Zakharova took the opportunity to criticize the pressure Washington exerts on the island and reaffirmed Russian support for the Cuban regime.
"Cuba continues to face brutal economic pressure from the United States," she stated.
The diplomat described the sanctions imposed by the Trump administration in early May as part of a strategy to "economically strangle" the island, labeling Washington's policies as a "cynical embodiment of a revived Monroe Doctrine."
"We reaffirm our full solidarity with Cuba and strongly condemn any blatant attempts to interfere in the internal affairs of a sovereign state, including intimidation and the use of illegal restrictive measures, threats, and blackmail," she concluded.
These Russian declarations came a day after Trump warned that the United States would not tolerate Cuba as a state harboring hostile operations just ninety miles from its territory, in a presidential message delivered on the occasion of Cuba's Independence Day.
Politico reported on May 19 that the Pentagon and Southern Command have initiated military scenario planning against Cuba, ranging from targeted airstrikes to a full-scale ground invasion.
The Russian backing of the Cuban regime is underpinned by a formal legal basis: in March 2025, both governments signed an intergovernmental military cooperation agreement, which was ratified by Putin as law on October 15, 2025.
On May 15, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov pledged "political, diplomatic, and material support" to Cuba during a meeting with Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla on the sidelines of the BRICS foreign ministers' summit in New Delhi.
However, Russian analysts have pointed out that Moscow—entangled in the Ukraine conflict—can only offer genuine political support to Havana, lacking the capability for economic or military rescue comparable to the Soviet era.
FAQs on Russia-Cuba Relations
What did Maria Zakharova say about military aid to Cuba?
Maria Zakharova did not confirm or deny any specific request for military aid from Cuba but reiterated Russia's full support for Havana.
What was Zakharova's response to the Axios report?
Zakharova dismissed the Axios report, which claimed Cuba had acquired military drones from Russia and Iran, as "fiction" and part of an "information war."
How did Zakharova describe U.S. sanctions on Cuba?
She described the U.S. sanctions as part of an attempt to "economically strangle" Cuba and labeled Washington's policies a "cynical embodiment of a revived Monroe Doctrine."