Russian, Cuban presidents meet in Moscow, decry 'unfair' sanctions

MOSCOW

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Cuban counterpart Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez met on Tuesday and decried sanctions imposed by the West on both countries.

Putin and Bermudez attended the unveiling of a monument in Moscow to honor Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro, who led the island country from 1959 to 2008.

The two leaders later held talks at the Kremlin palace, where Putin shared his memories about personal meetings with Castro.

"He (Fidel Castro) knew and was able to analyze everything that was happening in the world. It was very interesting and useful for me to have these meetings with him. I really remember our personal meetings with him in detail. He was an extraordinary person," the president said.

Putin added that Russia has always supported and still backs the Cuban people in their struggle for independence and sovereignty.

"We have always opposed various kinds of restrictions, embargoes, blockades and so on, and have always supported Cuba on international platforms. And we see that Cuba takes the same position with regard to our country, with regard to Russia," he said.

The US imposed a trade embargo on Cuba in 1960 following the revolution led by Castro, which was strengthened two years later.

Barack Obama took significant steps to normalize relations during his time in the presidential office. He formally restored US-Cuba relations and made a historic visit to Havana in 2016.

But Former US President Donald Trump stepped up sanctions and rolled back steps towards normalization.

Earlier this month, the UN General Assembly voted overwhelmingly to condemn the ban on trade amid an economic crisis on the Caribbean island.

For his part, Bermudez said Havana appreciates Moscow's efforts to move the world towards multipolarity.

"This visit has a deep significance for us. We are holding it when both countries, Russia and Cuba, are subject to unfair unilateral sanctions. We appreciate all the work that the Russian Federation is doing to ensure that the world moves towards multipolarity," he said.

Bermudez stressed that Moscow can always rely on Havana, which is "determined to develop and continue relations" with Russia.

Earlier on Tuesday, Bermudez addressed the Russian parliament, condemned Western sanctions "unilaterally and unfairly" imposed on Russia due to its war on Ukraine, and said "the US' aggressive policy and expansion of NATO to Russian borders" was the reason of the conflict in Ukraine.

Havana advocates for a "negotiated solution" to the conflict, he added.