MOSCOW, February 18. /TASS/. Russia considers the new restrictions on Cuba unacceptable, Russian President Vladimir Putin said.

"This is a special period, with new sanctions. You know how we feel about this. We do not accept anything like this," the Russian leader said during a meeting with Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla.

"The position of our Foreign Ministry is open, clear, and unambiguous," he pointed out.

Putin noted that Russia and Cuba have special relations that have developed historically.

"We have always been on Cuba's side in its struggle for independence, for the right to follow its own path of development, and we have always supported the Cuban people. We know how difficult these past decades have been for the Cuban people as they have fought for the right to live by their own rules and defend their national interests," the Russian president emphasized.