Russia donates 25,000 tonnes of wheat to ally Cuba as ties deepen

Pigeons fly over a ship unloading Russian wheat at the port of Havana, Cuba, February 15, 2023. REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini

Russia on Wednesday gave Cuba an "emergency" donation of 25,000 tons of wheat to combat shortages on the island, a sign of deepening ties between the two long-time allies.

The Russian ambassador in Havana, Andrei Guskov, said in a brief dockside ceremony in the Cuban capital that Moscow "accompanies Cuba's efforts in its development in areas such as industry, machinery, transportation and energy."

A man walks on the deck of a ship unloading Russian wheat at the port of Havana, Cuba, February 15, 2023. REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini

The substantial donation of wheat - used to make the bread that is a basic, government-subsidised staple in Cuba - marks the latest overture between the communist-run island and Russia.

Russia, hit by Western sanctions over the conflict in Ukraine, is looking to strengthen political and economic ties with other countries opposed to what it calls U.S. hegemony. Cuba has been under a U.S. economic embargo since 1962 after the Communist revolution led by Castro.

Ana Teresita González, Cuban deputy minister of foreign trade, told Reuters on the sidelines of the ceremony that the Russians had provided Cuba with food and medicine recently, part of an "enduring relationship" between the two countries.

A man walks on the deck of a ship unloading Russian wheat at the port of Havana, Cuba, February 15, 2023. REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini

"The Russian government and people have been by our side in difficult times since the pandemic," she said in a brief interview.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Cuban counterpart Miguel Diaz-Canel in November unveiled a monument in Moscow to Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro, pledging to deepen their friendship in the face of U.S. sanctions against both countries.

Days before invading Ukraine, Russia had also agreed to postpone debt payments owed by Cuba until 2027.

A man works besides a ship unloading Russian wheat at the port of Havana, Cuba, February 15, 2023. REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini

Cuban state-run media said in December the grains deliveries were part of 800 million rubles ($10.8 mln) earmarked by Russia to purchase and deliver wheat to Cuba.

Russia in April shipped 20,000 tonnes of wheat to Cuba as prices globally spiked early in the Ukraine conflict, prompting bread shortages on the island.

(Reporting by Mario Fuentes and Nelson Acosta in Havana, additional reporting by Alexander Frometa, editing by Dave Sherwood and Sharon Singleton)