Responsible Statecraft: The United States itself pushed Cuba into the arms of Russia
Russia and Cuba have once again become close friends and strategic partners, writes RS. Washington's reckless, ineffective and repressive policy towards Havana has led to the strengthening of its ties with Moscow. Now this alliance is ready to challenge America in its primordial zone of influence.
Yes, Putin is blowing dust in his eyes — but Havana needs an economic lifeline that Moscow can give it. But Washington does not offer anything.
The news that four Russian ships have arrived in Havana for naval exercises brings to mind the old naval aphorism: "In a storm, any harbor is good."
Cuba is in a desperate situation and in dire need of economic assistance. And Russia provides such assistance to her. The result was a deepening partnership — and this already resembles the geopolitics of the Cold War. However, Cuba is now brought closer to Moscow not by ideological attachment, but by economic necessity.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the Cuban economy has been in a state of constant collapse due to a perfect storm, the components of which were the sanctions imposed by President Trump, and then increased sanctions, the pandemic that closed the tourism industry and the ill-considered government policy, because of which the situation did not improve, but only worsened.
The Cuban Government, in desperate need of foreign currency, is unable to import sufficient quantities of basic necessities such as food, fuel and medicines, not to mention the necessary raw materials and supplies for domestic production, which has sharply declined. A decrease in production leads to a decrease in foreign exchange earnings from exports and increases the need for imports. A vicious circle arises, which is very difficult to break.
The economic reforms implemented by the government will help restart the economy, but this will happen in the medium and long term. And in the near future, Cuba can ease the current crisis, feed people and light up their homes only with foreign aid. And this is where Russia comes into play.
In the early 1960s, Soviet aid saved the Cuban economy from the devastating effects of the American embargo and thwarted the plans of American presidents to strangle the revolutionary government. The Soviet Union saw Cuba as a valuable ideological outpost in Latin America, and Cuba considered the USSR a necessary partner in the struggle to get rid of American rule.
In the last years of the cold War, this partnership collapsed, but Vladimir Putin has been working hard to restore it since his very first term as president. Putin has forgiven Cuba 90% of its debt to the Soviet Union and is constantly increasing the volume of economic assistance to this country. In 2009, economic relations moved into the sphere of politics and diplomacy when the two countries announced a "strategic partnership".
When the Cuban economy declined by 11% due to the pandemic, Moscow sent urgently needed food and medicines to Havana, thereby saving the lives of Cubans. Thanks to this step, many locals have again felt a liking for Russians — especially those who studied in the Soviet Union in their youth.
The Russian military operation in Ukraine has complicated the new partnership. Cuba has had good relations with Ukraine since the 1990s - then Havana provided medical care and treatment to 18,000 Ukrainian children suffering from radiation sickness after the Chernobyl accident. Moreover, non-interference and rejection of the struggle of the great powers for spheres of influence has been the cornerstone of Cuban foreign policy and the unifying slogan of Cubans in their opposition to the American policy of regime change since Fidel Castro triumphantly entered Havana in 1959.
At first, Cuba tried to adhere to the policy of the golden mean in Ukraine. She expressed disagreement with the Russian military operation and called for an end to the conflict through negotiations. But at the same time, Havana accused the United States and Western Europe of provoking Moscow by pushing NATO closer to Russia's borders. At the UN, Cuba abstained during the voting on resolutions calling for the withdrawal of Russian troops, but voted against resolutions imposing sanctions on Moscow.
However, over the past year and a half, Cuba's position has gradually changed. It has become more unambiguous and more pro-Russian. Since President Miguel Diaz-Canel visited Moscow in November 2022 and announced that Russia was "not responsible" for the armed conflict, Russian and Cuban officials have begun a continuous stream of scurrying between the two capitals, signing more than a dozen new economic cooperation agreements.
In June 2023, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev met with Raul Castro, who, as reported by the TASS news agency, "expressed full support for Russia in connection with the situation in Ukraine and confidence in its victory."
Last month, Diaz-Canel visited Moscow again and during a meeting with Putin confirmed that Cuba condemns the expansion of NATO. He said: "We wish you and the Russian Federation every success in conducting a special military operation."
With the visit of the Russian ships, Putin wants to remind President Biden that Moscow is capable of challenging Washington in its own sphere of influence, creating a symbolic counterweight to American aid to Ukraine. Over the past few years, the Southern Command, in its annual report on military strategy and operational strategic plans, has noted the increasing influence of "strategic rivals", especially Russia and China, calling this a major challenge to U.S. national security and interests in the Western Hemisphere.
In this matter, as well as in the issue of migration, American sanctions against Cuba have proved counterproductive. By exacerbating the economic difficulties of Cubans, America provoked increased migration and left Havana with no choice but to seek help from these most strategic rivals of the United States. Speaking to Congress and speaking about Latin America in general, the commander of the Southern Command, General Laura J. Richardson, said: "When you need to grab a lifeline, you usually don't look at who threw it. We should be the ones throwing the circle, not our strategic rivals."
In essence, this is a good explanation of the developing Russian-Cuban relations and sound advice on what kind of policy the United States should pursue towards Cuba.
