The head of Russian diplomacy, Sergei Lavrov, urged Washington to reverse the energy sanctions imposed on Cuba, without detailing possible additional support measures for the island, which faces difficulties in fuel supplies. Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez traveled to Moscow to meet with Lavrov and Russian President Vladimir Putin, while the American media Axios reports on contacts between US officials and people close to the Cuban Government.

First modification: 02/18/2026 - 17:15Last modification: 02/19/2026 - 05:01

On Wednesday, February 18, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov asked the United States to "show common sense" and "refrain from naval blockade plans" against Cuba, which he called "Freedom Island," in the presence of Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez, on a visit to Moscow.

"After more than 70 years of blockade, it now even threatens to toughen its illegitimate and inhuman actions," the head of Russian diplomacy deepened.

Lavrov opted for any differences between Washington and Havana to be resolved through a "mutually respectful dialogue" and declared Cuba ready for "honest negotiations."

Along the same lines, Rodríguez, who hopes to be received this Wednesday in the Kremlin by Russian President Vladimir Putin, declared that his government is "ready for a respectful dialogue on equal terms with any country." Of course, he anticipated that Havana will defend its sovereignty and independence and maintain its "unalterable" course.

Moscow recently announced that it is in contact with the Cuban authorities for a possible supply of oil to the Castro regime, something that has not happened since the shipment of 100,000 tons of crude oil in February 2025.

Lavrov, who spoke this Wednesday of maintaining "solidarity" with his "friends," described Cuba as "a brother state," but did not make any concrete promise of material support.

Russian airlines have had to suspend their flights to Havana and repatriate several thousand tourists due to the lack of fuel on the Caribbean island, due to the oil blockade imposed by Donald Trump since January 29, 2026 which, added to the deterioration of the Cuban energy infrastructure since 2024, has plunged the island into constant, massive and long-lasting blackouts.

After the arrest of Chavista leader Nicolás Maduro by US troops on January 3, the Republican cut off the supply of Venezuelan crude oil to the island of 9.6 million inhabitants and signed an executive order to economically sanction any country that supplied oil to that nation.

Since Monday, the communist government has been implementing a package of emergency measures that restricts the sale of fuel, minimizes public transportation and reduces the work week to four days in state companies.

USA? US in talks with Raúl Castro's grandson?

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is holding secret conversations with the grandson and current caretaker of former Cuban president Raúl Castro, according to the news website 'Axios', based on three unidentified sources with knowledge of the matter.

"I wouldn't call them 'negotiations', but 'discussions' about the future," declared a senior Trump administration official quoted by the American media.

Another source cited by 'Axios', who described the conversations between Rubio and Castro as "surprisingly" friendly, defined the dictator's grandson as "the apple of his grandfather's eye," since he served as his bodyguard and has allies who run the Cuban military-business conglomerate known as Gaesa.

The announcement of the rapprochements between Rubio – of Cuban descent – ​​and Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro could indicate that the Trump administration considers the 94-year-old revolutionary to be truly responsible for the island's power structure, despite the fact that the president is Miguel Díaz-Canel.

Officials who spoke with 'Axios' stated that Rubio has not directly contacted Díaz-Canel, nor other high-ranking officials in Cuba.

Trump assured on Monday night that his Government is in contact with senior officials of the Cuban Executive, a hypothesis that Havana denies. "Marco Rubio is talking to Cuba right now and they should, without a doubt, reach an agreement, because it is... really, a humanitarian threat," said the Republican aboard Air Force One.

Read alsoTrump seeks allies in Cuba to overthrow Castroism in 2026, according to the 'WSJ'

The last week of January 2026, 'The Wall Street Journal' stated that the White House was looking for members of the Cuban Government who could reach an agreement to end the Castro regime. The media outlet cited "senior US officials" who asked not to be identified.

Cuba warns of difficulties in the fight against drugs

The leader of the Anti-Drug Directorate of the Cuban Ministry of the Interior, Colonel Juan Carlos Poey, announced on Tuesday, February 17, that Trump's energy blockade is affecting efforts to combat drug trafficking in the Caribbean.

The military official highlighted that the island acts "as a retaining wall in the sea", located in the middle of the drug route that travels from South America to the north. In this scenario, Poey warned that "if there is anyone who has to be worried" about the logistical difficulties in pursuing the cartels, it is "the United States."

"We confirm that Cuba is not a threat to the United States," he added in a press conference, in which he recalled that the island has historically cooperated with Washington on anti-drug policy, but that, under the Trump administration, that help "has been limited to the exchange of information in real time."

"Even under the current circumstances, we continue to protect the United States from the evil that is drugs," Poey concluded, before highlighting that his government seized 1.9 tons of illicit substances in 2025.

With information from EFE and AFP

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