Russia deputy FM hails 'special' relations on Cuba visit

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov hailed the "special nature" of relations with Cuba on a visit Thursday, where he met President Miguel Diaz-Canel as tensions simmer between Washington and energy-starved Havana.

"Russia is not going to leave the western hemisphere, no matter what they say in Washington," Ryabkov told a press conference after the meeting, according to Russian state news agency TASS.

"Our relations with Cuba are of a special nature... We can't just betray Cuba, it's completely out of the question, we can't leave it to its fate."

The meeting, confirmed by Diaz-Canel's office on X, came 10 days after a Russian oil tanker arrived in Cuba despite a de facto US fuel blockade.

"We take this opportunity to send a hug to our dear friend, President Vladimir Putin," Diaz-Canel said in the meeting, according to his office.

Ryabkov said Cuba's economic issues, including its energy security, were among the main topics of discussion, TASS reported.

Under President Donald Trump, the United States has threatened tariffs on any country that attempts to sell oil to Cuba, resulting in an energy crisis on the communist island that has worsened since January.

The US labels Cuba a threat to US national security, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is of Cuban descent, has demanded changes to the island's leadership.

Earlier on Thursday, Diaz-Canel told US-based NBC News that he would not resign under US pressure.

Rubio has denied calling for Diaz-Canel's resignation.

"At the present moment, Russia is one hundred percent in solidarity with Cuba; despite the complexity the country is going through, we are by your side, said the deputy foreign minister," the Cuban president's office wrote on X on Thursday.