MOSCOW, January 21. /TASS/. Russia will continue offering all necessary support to Cuba, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said, commenting on the new US administration’s decision to put that country on its state sponsors of terrorism list again.
"On its part, Russia will continue all-round support for Cuba in defending its state sovereignty and its calls for putting an immediate and complete end to the illegal and inhumane economic, trade and financial blockade of the island by the United States and removing Havana from the above-mentioned list of states allegedly sponsoring terrorism," she noted.
The Russian diplomat recalled that the previous US administration pointed to the lack of any evidence of Cuba supporting international terrorism. "And this is an undeniable fact. We deem it necessary to stress once again: Cuba has an impeccable, model reputation as an active participant in international anti-terrorism cooperation," she emphasized.
"It is also quite evident that putting the island back on this sanction list is geared toward further toughening financial and economic restrictions in a bid to destabilize the situation in Cuba and topple its government. And they understand full well that these restrictions have very negative effects on the living standards of the island’s population," Zakharova added.
In December 2014, US President Barack Obama acknowledged that Washington’s former policy toward Havana was not working and announced he would work to improve bilateral ties and mitigate sanctions. In 2015, the Obama administration removed Cuba from the US list of state sponsors of terrorism.
However, rapprochement between the two countries was suspended after Trump came to power in January 2017. He tightened restrictions on travel to the republic and banned doing any business with companies controlled by the Cuban military. Among other measures, he put Cuba on the US list of state sponsors of terrorism.
On January 14, the next US president, Joe Biden, delisted Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism. He also moved to suspend a provision of the Helms-Burton Act, preventing US citizens from filing claims over property seized in Cuba. But after his inauguration on January 20, Donald Trump revoked 78 executive orders and memorandums by former President Joe Biden, including that on Cuba’s status.