Russia’s New Venture In Cuba

Russia explores opportunities with the US enemy south of Florida.

Grady Bolding
5 min readJul 12, 2023

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Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel before the Russian Duma, November 2022. Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons.

In the wake of its disastrous war in Ukraine, Russia has been cementing ties with Cuba — 100 miles south of the United States.

The CBC reported on June 3rd that both nations have held talks to revive Cuba’s ports, tourist attractions, and crucial industries such as steel, oil, and sugar (1).

At the same time, observers with insider knowledge insist Russian oligarchs will use Cuban assets for profit while Russian military officials may seek a “forward base” within reach of Florida.

Cuba has received multiple visitations from Russian officials this year and vice versa.

Reuters reported as recently as June 20th that one Cuban delegation, led by Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marrero, traveled to Moscow for a follow-up meeting on trade agreements signed in May (2).

In particular, Russia agreed to supply the impoverished nation with wheat and 1.64 million tons of crude oil.

Russian airline Aeroflot will also renew flights to Cuba and bring in 1,200 employees of Rosneft — a state-run oil firm — to receive medical examinations.

Cuban ex-diplomat Juan Antonio Blanco states Havana’s goal is to save Cuba’s economy from…

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Grady Bolding
Dialogue & Discourse

Freelance writer and contributor to Cultured Vultures. Interests include media, film, and politics.