The Russian Federation is looking to broaden is ties with Communist Cuba, according to Reuters. Looking beyond traditional economic ties, Russia is now proposing military and technical cooperation between the two countries, who share a common enemy in the United States.
Close ties between Russia and Cuba go back to Castro’s Revolution and the subsequent Cuban Missile Crisis. The relationship between Russia and Cuba survived the fall of the Soviet Union and have been getting even stronger in recent years.
Cuba has consistently backed Russia in the foreign policy realm, especially at the United Nations. In regards to the war in Ukraine, Cuba blames NATO for the initial aggression. With Russia’s full military focus on Ukraine, any Russian assistance to Cuba would be mostly symbolic.
The United States is wary of the growing influence from major adversaries in Cuba. Earlier this year, it caught wind of a Chinese plan to setup espionage stations on the island. Cuba countered by protesting against America’s Guantanamo Naval base, a permanent American enclave acquired during Cuba’s independence in 1898.
Beyond Cuba, Russia’s die-hard allies in the United Nations include Belarus, Syria, North Korea, and Nicaragua. Most of these states have a current or past Communist leader, and already have close ties to Russia militarily. Belarus was instrumental in diffusing the Wagner mutiny, offering Prigozhin safe haven.
