(Havana) Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borissov is due to arrive in Havana on Thursday for a working visit, amid the Russian-Western crisis over Ukraine, the Cuban Foreign Ministry announced.
Posted at 3:46 p.m.
During his visit, the duration of which has not been specified, Mr. Borissov “will have meetings with various Cuban authorities to study the functioning of bilateral collaboration in different areas,” the ministry said in a press release.
The Russian Deputy Prime Minister has just paid a visit to Venezuela, another ally of Moscow in the region.
According to the state daily Granma, “Cuba and Russia maintain a political dialogue at the highest level, through a fluid exchange of visits, as relations between the two countries have deepened during the pandemic”.
Since December 31, Moscow has sent five planes to the island carrying protective medical equipment and medical products to deal with the coronavirus pandemic.
A boat loaded with wheat is due to dock on the island soon, according to the state daily.
A month ago, Presidents Vladimir Putin and Miguel Diaz-Canel had a telephone conversation on strengthening the “strategic association” between the two countries. Mr. Borissov has already been to Havana in October.
Westerners have been worried for weeks about the risks of an attack on Ukraine by Russia, which has massed more than 100,000 troops on the borders of this country, an explosive situation at the heart of the worst crisis with Moscow since the end of the Cold War.
In Caracas, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro assured Moscow of his “unreserved support” on Wednesday.