The Kremlin on Thursday said it is actively discussing what help it can provide to fuel-starved Cuba, dismissing U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff threat to sanction countries that send oil to the Caribbean island.
“We wouldn’t want any escalation, but on the other hand, we don’t have much trade right now,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters, according to Russian state news outlet RIA Novosti.
His comments came in response to a question about whether the Kremlin was concerned about the Trump administration’s tariff threats.
The White House has pledged to impose tariffs on countries that provide any oil to Cuba, whether directly or indirectly, saying the communist-run government represents an “unusual and extraordinary threat.”
The U.S. has stepped up its pressure campaign on Cuba’s leadership since Jan. 3, when it conducted an extraordinary military operation to depose Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, a longtime ally of Cuba’s government.
