Russia vowed Thursday to continue providing “active support” to Cuba and expressed “total solidarity” with the island nation after the U.S. indicted its former president on murder charges and deployed a naval carrier strike group to the Caribbean amid reports President Donald Trump is weighing military action against the government in Havana.
“We reaffirm our total solidarity with Cuba,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement in which she condemned U.S. “intimidation, unilateral restrictive measures, threats and blackmail.”
“We will continue to actively support the brotherly Cuban people during this incredibly challenging time. Havana has already been briefed on the specific details and core aspects of this support,” Zakharova added.
On Wednesday, U.S. federal prosecutors announced criminal charges against former Cuban President Raúl Castro in the 1996 downing of civilian planes flown by Miami-based exiles.
The indictment follows Trump’s threats of military action in Cuba, which is facing severe blackouts, food shortages and economic collapse after the White House ordered a blockade that choked off fuel shipments to the island.
