Relationship dossier
Cuba
Russia
Relationship assessment
Cuba and Russia maintain a close political partnership, with economic cooperation and periodic military engagement.
Cuba toward Russia
+55The Cuban government has maintained close political ties with Russia and has supported Russian positions diplomatically, including abstaining on key UN resolutions concerning the invasion of Ukraine. Cuba has also pursued bilateral economic and military cooperation with Russia.
Russia toward Cuba
+55The Russian government has backed Cuba diplomatically and granted substantial relief on Soviet-era debt in 2014. The two governments have pursued economic cooperation, and Russia has sent naval vessels to Havana, including a 2024 port visit.
Overall relationship
+55The relationship is underpinned by longstanding political alignment, Russian diplomatic support for Cuba, substantial debt relief, and continuing economic and military engagement. These durable features make the partnership close, although the practical scope of newer cooperation is not fully clear.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Cuba and Russia maintain a close political and economic partnership rooted in longstanding ties. Cuba has supported Russia diplomatically, including by abstaining on key UN resolutions concerning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Russia has backed Cuba diplomatically and provided major debt relief, while the governments have pursued economic and military cooperation. The relationship is substantial, though the extent and implementation of newer cooperation are not fully clear.
Key developments
Russia agreed to write off about 90 percent of Cuba’s Soviet-era debt, with the remainder to be repaid under an agreement.
Russian naval vessels, including a nuclear-powered submarine, made a port visit to Havana.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of recent economic and military cooperation are unclear.
- The extent of Cuba’s practical support for Russian policy beyond diplomatic statements and UN votes is uncertain.