Vladimir Putin met with Cuban president Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez on May 7, 2025 (Kremlin)
“In August 2023, the names of the first Cuban soldiers serving with Russia on the front lines of the war against Ukraine became known: Andorf Antonio Velázquez García and Álex Rolando Vega Díaz, two 19-year-old recruits in uniform, their faces beardless and frightened, appeared in a video pleading for help after being hired from Cuba to supposedly carry out construction work. They said they were promised a monthly salary of over $2,000 and that they would be guaranteed a Russian passport. Without understanding how, they ended up in the combat zone. “It’s all been a scam,” they stated at the time. “We need your help to get out of here.”
These statements had a strong impact in Cuba and fueled suspicions in a sector of society that the Havana government was silently facilitating the deployment of mercenaries to the war, supporting its long-standing partner in the conflict. Last May, the Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense (GUR) released an estimate that puts the number of Cubans mobilized since the beginning of the Russian invasion in 2022 at 20,000.
According to Ukrainian intelligence data — obtained from the analysis of foreign passports of mercenaries who signed contracts with the Russian army, to which they had access — this is the largest Cuban intervention abroad since the Angolan war in the mid-1970s. Between 6,000 and 7,000 Cubans are currently on the battlefield, according to the same sources, the second -largest contingent after the more than 10,000 soldiers sent by North Korea. Ukraine estimates that between 200 and 300 Cubans have died in the war.”
Straight Arrow News ( SAN ) provides an overview on Cubans recruited to fight for Putin in Russia’s illegal war on Ukraine, and the Cuban government’s involvement.
The fact is that Havana is fully backing Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, but ties between Moscow and Havana had already been strengthened for over two and a half decades. It is worth reviewing some highlights of the Cuban dictatorship’s support for Putin’s illegal war in Ukraine over the past three years. In addition to the visible presence of Cuban soldiers fighting in Ukraine to back Moscow’s illegal war, and the statements made by young Cubans shipped abroad.
- On May 7, 2025 Vladimir Putin met with President of Cuba Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez, who arrived in Moscow to celebrate the 80th anniversary of victory in World War II.
- The EU-CELAC Summit was held in Brussels from July 17-18, 2023, during which Havana successfully vetoed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s bid to attend the Summit, with the help of both Caracas and Managua.
- On June 28, 2023, Cuba and Russian defense ministers met in Moscow to discuss joint ‘technical military’ projects.
- On May 24, 2023 Havana voted against the World Health Organization resolution condemning Russian attacks on Ukrainian health systems. It was one of nine “No” votes against the Europe backed resolution.
- On May 19, 2023 Cuban president Miguel Diaz-Canel declared to Russian Deputy Prime Minister, Dmitri Chernishenko, “Cuba’s unconditional support for the Russian Federation in its confrontation with the West.”
- On May 18, 2023, Valery Revenka, Head of the Department of International Military Cooperation – Assistant to the Minister of Defense of the Republic of Belarus for International Military Cooperation, revealed that Cuban military personnel will conduct military training in the Republic of Belarus.
- On November 22, 2022, Miguel Diaz-Canel was in Moscow alongside Vladimir Putin, unveiling a statue of Fidel Castro and confirming Havana’s support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
- On October 12, 2022 at the UN General Assembly Cuba was one of the 35 countries that abstained, and its ally Nicaragua was one of the 5 that voted against a resolution condemning the Russian Federation’s annexation of four Eastern Ukraine regions.
- On September 16, 2022 Cuba was one of seven countries voting “no” at the UN General Assembly together with Belarus, Eritrea, Nicaragua, North Korea, Syria, and Russia. This “no” vote was to silence Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky from delivering a pre-recorded address at the UN General Assembly.
- On September 15, 2022 “Russian top propagandist Vladimir Solovyov urged for the establishment of an international coalition with countries” that included Cuba, Iran, Nicaragua, North Korea, Syria, Serbia, and Venezuela for its war against Ukraine.
- On April 7, 2022 Cuba, Russia, China, North Korea, Iran, Syria, and Vietnam, were among those who voted against suspending Russia from the UN Human Rights Council ( 93 voted to suspend, 24 against, and 58 abstentions.)
- On March 2, 2022 Cuba and Nicaragua abstained from the vote condemning the Russian invasion at the United Nations General Assembly. ( 141 votes to condemn the invasion, 5 against and 35 abstentions).
- Euronews reported on February 24, 2022 that “only Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua and Syria supported the Russian recognition of independence for the occupied regions in Luhansk and Donetsk.”
- The Cuban government is spreading Russian propaganda both domestically and internationally defending Putin’s invasion, and repeating Moscow’s talking points.
- Cubans dissenting from this official line on the island have been arrested.
- Cuba has taken part in Russia’s International Military Exercises that in 2022 were held in Venezuela and Iran.
Meanwhile, Moscow, like Havana, would like Washinton to subsidize their anti-Western activities, as the Europeans are already doing by removing sanctions, and taking Cuba off the list of state terror sponsors, when what should be done is for the United States to add Russia to the list for the terrorism Moscow has visited on Ukraine, and dissidents overseas.
Journalist José de Córdoba in his article, “How Russia Recruits Soldiers From Cuba to Fight in Ukraine” published in The Wall Street Journal on February 16, 2024 provided context on how “Havana has long been one of Moscow’s closest partners. At the height of the Cold War in 1962, the Soviet Union and the U.S. came to the brink of nuclear war after the U.S. discovered Soviet nuclear missiles on the island. From 1975 to 1991, Cuba deployed more than 50,000 soldiers to Angola and Ethiopia in support of Soviet policies,” but mischaracterized the Cuban military’s role post-1991 “as now more focused on managing tourist hotels and growing beans than fighting in foreign wars.” He omits that the Cuban military remains a serious international threat.
Speaking at a seminar on human rights abuses in Cuba in December 2018, Secretary General Luis Almagro of the Organization of American States (OAS) knew better: “It is estimated that there are some 46,000 Cubans in Venezuela, an occupation force that teaches how to torture and repress, that performs intelligence, civil identification, and migration services.” This number is consistent with prior overseas actions by Havana, including their secret deployment of 3,000 troops in the Yom Kippur War in 1972 that used the cover of being students as they reached their final destination in Syria, before taking part in the invasion of Israel.
Havana is a bad actor, and pretending otherwise does not serve security interests in Europe or the Americas.
Russia recruits Cubans for the frontlines in Ukraine: ‘It’s all been a scam’
Ukrainian intelligence estimates that nearly 20,000 people have joined the Russian army since 2022, with the complicity of the Díaz-Canel administration. Some claim they arrived under false pretences
In August 2023, the names of the first Cuban soldiers serving with Russia on the front lines of the war against Ukraine became known: Andorf Antonio Velázquez García and Álex Rolando Vega Díaz, two 19-year-old recruits in uniform, their faces beardless and frightened, appeared in a video pleading for help after being hired from Cuba to supposedly carry out construction work. They said they were promised a monthly salary of over $2,000 and that they would be guaranteed a Russian passport. Without understanding how, they ended up in the combat zone. “It’s all been a scam,” they stated at the time. “We need your help to get out of here.”These statements had a strong impact in Cuba and fueled suspicions in a sector of society that the Havana government was silently facilitating the deployment of mercenaries to the war, supporting its long-standing partner in the conflict. Last May, the Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense (GUR) released an estimate that puts the number of Cubans mobilized since the beginning of the Russian invasion in 2022 at 20,000.
According to Ukrainian intelligence data — obtained from the analysis of foreign passports of mercenaries who signed contracts with the Russian army, to which they had access — this is the largest Cuban intervention abroad since the Angolan war in the mid-1970s. Between 6,000 and 7,000 Cubans are currently on the battlefield, according to the same sources, the second -largest contingent after the more than 10,000 soldiers sent by North Korea. Ukraine estimates that between 200 and 300 Cubans have died in the war.
Some of the stories of deceased Cubans have spread on social media: last year, for example, that of 21-year-old Raibel Palacio, who died after a Ukrainian drone attack; 26-year-old Yansiel Morejón, a former boxer and teacher; and 31-year-old Michael Valido, who hoped to return to the island soon. There are many more faces and names. There are others who have never been heard from again. Today, for example, nothing is known about Andorf and Álex, whether they returned home after their one-year contracts expired, or if they lost their lives on the battlefield. EL PAÍS attempted to contact their families but has not received a response.
Ukrainian intelligence had already revealed a list of 253 passports belonging to Cuban recruits in 2023. Since then, they say, the numbers have increased. The new report claims that more than 1,000 arrived between March and May, of whom 38 have already lost their lives.
“There is no doubt that the Cuban regime is actively participating in the war against Ukraine, facilitating the active recruitment of mercenaries, and sending its own security troops,” Maryan Zablotskyy, a member of the Ukrainian legislative assembly who presented the report in the United States, told EL PAÍS. According to this information, 40% of the Cuban recruits are part of the government’s military apparatus. “The depth of their knowledge is indisputable. The rest are people who may or may not know what is coming,” Zablotskyy asserts.
Ukrainian intelligence’s work with identity documents has yielded other data: the youngest Cuban to have gone to war was 18 years old, and the oldest was 62. The average age is 38, and there are people from virtually every province in the country. “Cuban mercenaries are offered $2,500 a month,” estimates Zablotskyy. “Based on signing bonuses in Russia and other countries, the Cuban government can easily get $50,000 per mercenary.” From the testimony of some soldiers, it is also known that there have been irregularities with the promised payments. “In all cases, those who sign contracts with the Russian army receive a bonus. Since we know that sometimes these bonuses do not reach the recruits, it is very likely that the Cuban government receives them,” adds the legislator.
A trip to war by “deception”
The names Elena Shuvalova and Dayana became popular in Cuba some time ago. They spread by word of mouth among young people desperate to get away somewhere, no matter where. Their WhatsApp contacts or social media profiles, even the ads they made offering “packages” to travel to Russia, spread like wildfire in Cuban neighborhoods. According to several testimonies, these female recruiters offered contracts in Russian, which people signed without even understanding what was on them. For a one-year contract, they were guaranteed about $2,500 a month, a Russian passport, and free travel.
Many flew to Moscow from Varadero Airport in Matanzas without a visa, as Russia is one of the few countries that doesn’t require this procedure for Cuban citizens. A Cuban who has lived in that country for years, who prefers to conceal his identity, told EL PAÍS that recruits are taken to a military police station to sign the contract, and “when they receive the initial payment, they take the money they spent on the ticket.” “The contract with the Russian army is open, anyone can sign it, and if you’re a foreigner, you can apply for Russian citizenship after a year of service,” he explains.
Amid the economic crisis that has fueled the largest recent exodus from Cuba, this seems to have become a way out for those who didn’t have enough money to reach the United States or to try their luck in another country. However, many of those who have gone claim to have been deceived. “They all claim not to understand the seriousness of war once they face it,” says Zablotskyy. At first, they are told they will be going to work as construction workers, laborers, or security guards.
This is what allegedly happened to Frank Dario Jarrosay Manfuga, a 36-year-old musician and former geography teacher from Guantánamo Bay, in eastern Cuba. Last year, he traveled to Russia to work in construction and ended up enlisting in the army. In March, he was captured by the Ukrainians. In the prison where he remains, he was visited twice by Orlando Gutiérrez Boronat, secretary general of the Cuban Resistance Assembly (ARC), who has denounced the presence of Cubans in the war. Boronat told this newspaper that, on Frank’s first day at the Russian military training center in Ukraine, he saw four Cubans die before his eyes during an attack in Donetsk.
“I took the step out of necessity, not for anything else,” Frank told him during the interview. Today, the Havana government won’t accept him back, and the Moscow authorities don’t recognize him as a mercenary. Frank, however, maintains that he prefers to remain imprisoned rather than return to the misery he experienced on the island, according to Boronat.
“You don’t have to go to war and believe false promises”
In May of last year, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel wished Russian leader Vladimir Putin “success” in the “special military operation” on Ukrainian territory. This was confirmation of Havana’s support for Moscow since the beginning of the offensive in 2022. It is not in Havana’s best interest to compromise its historic ally, one of the few that has helped sustain the country’s depressed economy in recent years. Between 2006 and 2019, Russia lent Cuba $2.3 billion. In 2014, Putin forgave 90% of Cuba’s $35 billion debt to Moscow. Amid the country’s constant power outages, news broke of a $65 million Russian loan to purchase oil and a $2 million donation to repair the country’s aging power plants. Other agreements refer to investment and tourism promotion.
“Russia has offered some advantages to Cuba, but it expects tangible benefits for them as well,” says economist Ricardo Torres, a former researcher at the Center for the Study of the Cuban Economy and a professor at the American University in Washington. “During the war, I think the Russians appreciated the diplomatic support Cuba has given them, at the UN and in other international forums. The question is, if relations between Russia and the United States improve substantially, and the war ends, what Cuba can offer loses value.”
Cuba, so far, has offered its silence and covert support on international stages. At the beginning of the invasion, however, it denied sending mercenaries to Russia. Following numerous reports of a trafficking network from the island, the government imprisoned 17 people apparently involved. A statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs claimed that “Cuba is not part of the war in Ukraine,” and the government made it clear that a crime of “mercenaryism” could carry up to 30 years of imprisonment. However, it later emerged that the Cuban authorities had released the detainees.
Therefore, a widespread theory is that the recruitment of Cubans to go to war has official complicity. “Of course, no recruitment of this kind would have occurred without the explicit approval of the Cuban government,” says Zablotskyy, who last month denounced the situation in Brussels, at the headquarters of the European Parliament. “There should be sanctions against the regime for its actions. At the very least, I think it’s reasonable for the European Union to cancel the regime’s funding,” he maintains.
Zablotskyy also insists that the cost of going to war is too high for Cubans, who should think twice before taking the step. “The mortality rate among Cubans is very high. The Russians later don’t participate in prisoner exchanges with the Cubans,” he says. “The Cuban government also doesn’t recognize mercenaries and doesn’t ask for the return of those captured. And the Russians break their promises to release anyone within a year. Any Cuban who signs the contract stays indefinitely until the Russians decide to let them go. You don’t have to go to war and believe false promises.”
Meeting with President of Cuba Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez
Vladimir Putin met with President of Cuba Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez, who arrived in Russia to participate in celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War.
On the Russian side, the meeting was attended by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Russian part of the Intergovernmental Russian-Cuban Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation Dmitry Chernyshenko, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office Maxim Oreshkin, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office, Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov, Presidential Aide Yury Ushakov, Minister of Economic Development Maxim Reshetnikov, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov, Minister of Energy Sergei Tsivilev, Head of the Federal Service for the Oversight of Consumer Protection and Welfare Anna Popova, General Director of Zarubezhneft Sergei Kudryashov, and CEO and Chairman of the Management Board of Rosneft Igor Sechin.
* * *
President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Comrade Diaz-Canel, friends,
I am delighted to welcome each and every one of you to Moscow.
Last time we met was exactly a year ago, and I want to thank you for making the decision to come to Moscow this year to join us in celebrating the 80th anniversary of victory over Nazism. In our country, we call this war the Great Patriotic War because the entire nation – without exaggeration – took part in repelling Nazi aggression.
Cuba contributed to the fight against Nazism. I know that you started your visit with St Petersburg, former Leningrad, and I would like to note that volunteers from Cuba fought alongside the Red Army soldiers outside Leningrad, among other places.
It is very symbolic that your current visit coincides with the 65th anniversary of resuming diplomatic relations on May 8, 1960. Please convey my best wishes and greetings to Comrade Raul Castro.
We are very happy to see you. Welcome!
President of Cuba Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez (retranslated): President Putin,
We are delighted to be in Moscow, we are feeling great and we appreciate your invitation.
Indeed, we mark two significant anniversaries that underscore the depth of our historical ties. The first, and unquestionably the most important, is the anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War. The second is the 65th anniversary of the restoration of diplomatic relations between our nations.
It is especially symbolic for us to be present on these occasions, as our shared efforts today are focused on preserving historical memory, particularly today, when there are increasing attempts to belittle the decisive role and heroic deed of the Soviet Union, the Soviet people, and the Red Army in defeating Nazism. This Victory was not just a triumph for Russia, but a victory for all of humanity. I believe that saving the humankind is great merit.
Attempts are being taken to rewrite history and give up this legacy, with new signs of resurging fascism on a global scale. I believe that it is our common duty to convey real hostory. That is probably the highest form of tribute we can offer. This is what we are doing by participating in today’s commemorative events and standing here with you.
I would also like to pass on to you the warm embrace and greetings from Army General Raul Castro.
Since our diplomatic relations were restored 65 years ago, they have withstood all tests of time. We have shared many emotions and had common challenges, programmes, projects, and thus come to this significant milestone.
History has made it clear: only unity based on mutual cooperation, solidarity, and friendship can enable us to face today’s challenges and those that lie ahead.
We are delighted to be here with you today.
Cuba: Speech by High representative/Vice-President Kaja Kallas at the EP plenary on the applicability of the Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement
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Opening Remarks
Thank you,
Honourable Members of the European Parliament,
We all agree that Cuban citizens should be able to speak freely and without fear.
We also agree that the rule of law is incompatible with arbitrary detentions.
And we all believe that the Cuban people—like people everywhere—should be able to choose their government through free and democratic elections.
This said, the question today is how we engage with Cuba?
We must do this based on our values and our interests. Since 2016, we have had a Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement (PDCA) with Cuba, agreed by this Parliament and European Union Member States.
I understand that many here feel the Agreement has not delivered as much as we would hope.
However, in the midst of Cuba’s severe economic crisis and broader global instability, the objectives of this Agreement remain relevant to promote reform; encourage respect for human rights; and accompany Cuba’s economic and social modernisation—while promoting European values and protecting European interests.
The Agreement gives us a structured framework. This framework provides space for us to talk about issues where we agree, but especially on those where we differ.
These include sensitive topics like human rights, arrests and disproportionate sentences or Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.
The Agreement is not a way to ignore our differences— it is a way to address our differences.
President, Honourable Members,
This Agreement has not yet delivered the kind of change we want. But it has contributed to meaningful developments.
For example, progressive provisions in the 2019 Constitution; the adoption of a new Family Law; or the emergence, albeit timid, of a private sector.
We have also welcomed the release of 553 detainees, as agreed with the Vatican, and in line with the EU’s long-standing calls.
But yes, setbacks persist.
The recent revocation by Cuban courts of the conditional release of José Daniel Ferrer and Félix Navarro is deeply concerning.
The EU responded with a statement calling on Cuban authorities to review these decisions and to release all individuals detained for exercising their rights to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression.
We must also consider the wider geopolitical context.
Cuba has historic ties with Russia. In fact, President [Díaz-Canel] is currently going to attend the Victory Day in Moscow.
Yet, Cuba has abstained in six UN votes on Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, including the most recent. Cuba also plays a role on the multilateral stage.
We must assert our positions firmly and consistently, especially with influential actors and where our views are not shared.
To conclude, the Agreement is not a silver bullet. We all understand that. But in the face of economic distress and shifting geopolitical dynamics, it remains the European Union’s best shot at promoting our values, defending our interests, and supporting reform.
It is also [a] means to counter the influence of other global actors.
This is also a policy of many of our Member States, who hold regular dialogues and consultations with Cuba.
Diplomacy is not the art of the ideal, but of the possible. It is also about dialogue, especially where there are differences.
Thank you.
Link to the video: https://audiovisual.ec.europa.eu/en/video/I-271348
Closing remarks
Thank you, President, Honorable Members of Parliament,
Thank you very much for this interesting discussion.
I understand that this is the second debate on Cuba for this mandate of this European Parliament, and the 9th debate on Cuba [during the] last 5 years. This shows how important the topic for the Member of the Parliament is. And also, in addition to that, we have 17 accredited Ambassadors from EU Member States in Havana, which shows that Cuba, despite being a relatively small island, is relevant to [the] European Union, for historical, political and economic reasons as well.
But also, what this debate very well shows is how diverse the ideas of what to do with Cuba really are – in this chamber as well.
What I want to stress: Cuba remains a sovereign state and will take its own decisions. Of course, we want change. Of course we do. But as with all countries, the European Union neither has the capacity nor the will to impose change.
Of course, Mr Mato, human rights is the fundamental principle of the European Union. That is what we are standing for. And also, [if] we have the agreement then we have the possibility to address these human rights issues.
Cuba must determine its own path—but the question today is whether our values and interests are best advanced through principled engagement or through isolation and disengagement.
And there, I want to stress to Ms Teodorescu Måwe: the agreement does not bring democracy, but let me remind you that we did not have the agreement before 2016, and there was no democracy then as well. So, it does not matter if the agreement is there or not. I think we can all agree that agreement has nothing to do with the country, the people there decide for [a] democratic approach or not.
Also, to Mr Kamiński: does suspending the agreement free José Daniel Ferrer and Felix Navarro? I think we know the answer to that question.
But we can raise these issues and these questions with the dialogue we have. If we do not have a dialogue, we also do not have the possibility to raise the issue [to] free these people. We do dialogues with other countries that we do not share the same values [with], or who are not perfect democracies.
Do we have the possibility to interact only with perfect democracies? No, we cannot. And that is why we have also these dialogues in place to raise these very difficult issues.
Then, I want to correct Ms Junco García: we are not supporting the regime, we are not channeling our funding through the Cuban government. Our implementing partners in Cuba in EU-funded projects are mostly United Nations agencies, European NGOs and what we are supporting is the ecological transition, modernisation of the economy. These are things that we are doing, and we are not supporting the regime.
Thank you for your attention.
- Link to the video (18:33:40): https://www.europarl.europa.eu/plenary/en/home.html
In Cuba, E.U. official prioritized economic engagement over human rights. Shameful | Opinion
Even before Josep Borrell, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, arrived in Havana it was clear that addressing the plight of more than 1,000 political prisoners in Cuba was not a top concern.
Before his official visit to Cuba, from May 25-27, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Civil Rights Defenders and five other human-rights organizations sent Borrell a letter, made public on May 22, urging him, together with E.U. member states to respond to the country’s human-rights crisis during the third EU-Cuba Joint Council in Havana.
They asked him “to lead the E.U. and its member states in robustly engaging the Cuban authorities to immediately and unconditionally release all those detained solely for exercising their human rights, including the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.” They asked, specifically, that they “raise the cases of José Daniel Ferrer García, Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, Maykel ‘Osorbo’ Castillo Pérez, Aymara Nieto, Sissi Abascal Zamora, Donaida Pérez Paseiro and dissident artists Richard Zamora Brito “El Radikal”, Maria Cristina Garrido Rodriguez and Randy Arteaga-Rivera.”
On May 23, the European Parliament Subcommittee on Human Rights held a hearing on Cuba, where some members raised concerns, including the chair, who asked Jonathan Hatwell, head of the EEAS Division for Latin America and the Caribbean, if his boss, Borrell would be taking a list of political prisoners to hand over to the Cuban government and press for their release.
Hatwell’s meandering response, in which he said he didn’t know, spoke volumes.
On May 25, the European External Action Service tweeted: “Did you know that the European Union and its member states are Cuba’s first investor and first trading partner?” That same day, Borrell did not address Cuba’s political prisoners or mention the Cuban regime approving on the first day of his visit the “Social Communication Law,” which further criminalizes and seeks to muzzle independent journalism and penalizes user interaction on the internet to silence Cubans.
Instead, Borrell highlighted the micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) on Twitter. His first public event in Cuba was not a meeting with activists or the relatives of political prisoners, but a meeting with so-called “entrepreneurs” in a location owned by the son of a high-ranking military official.
Apparently, the European Union is competing with Russia in creating a new oligarchic class that is politically connected and will oversee Cuba’s private sector. Without the rule of law or private property rights, as is the case in Russia today, the private sector is determined by those connected to the inner circle of the dictatorship and the military.
The European Union’s high representative criticized U.S. sanctions, but made no mention of the internal blockade created by Cuban communists that results in great misery or that dissidents are calling for multilateral sanctions and international isolation of the Cuban dictatorship.
Borrell also criticized Cuba’s inclusion on the U.S. State Department’s state terror sponsor list, despite the fact that Havana is linked to terrorism around the world, and this includes Spain, Borrell’s home country.
The first ETA cadres were trained in Cuba. In 1964, members of the Basque terrorist group received training in kidnappings, subversion and sabotage. This terrorist gang, responsible for the murder of more than 850 Spaniards, has been given sanctuary in Cuba.
A January 2021 U.S. State Department report found that Cuba refused Colombia’s requests to extradite 10 ELN leaders living in Havana after the group claimed responsibility for the January 2019 bombing of a Bogota police academy that killed 22 people and injured more than 87 others. The report also found that Havana’s intelligence and military apparatus infiltrated Venezuela’s security and military forces to maintain a stranglehold over Venezuelans.
Havana’s support for FARC dissidents and the ELN continues beyond Cuba’s borders, as well, and the Castro regime created a permissive environment for international terrorists in Venezuela.
Money is fungible, and the European Union and its member states have forgiven Havana billions in debts. How many of these billions have gone to fund terrorism?
John Suarez is executive director of the Center for a Free Cuba.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/cuba-e-u-official-prioritized-150632661.html