{"id":12685,"date":"2026-02-18T23:12:51","date_gmt":"2026-02-18T23:12:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/?p=12685"},"modified":"2026-02-18T23:12:51","modified_gmt":"2026-02-18T23:12:51","slug":"russias-putin-meets-cuban-fm-says-us-restrictions-unacceptable-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/?p=12685","title":{"rendered":"Russia\u2019s Putin meets Cuban FM, says US restrictions \u2018unacceptable\u2019 | News"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"\">\n<p class=\"article__subhead\"><em>Meeting comes as White House says it wants to see \u2018dramatic changes very soon\u2019 in Cuba, calls government \u2018failing\u2019.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div><button class=\"article-listen-container\" aria-labelledby=\"listen-text listen-duration\" data-testid=\"listen-to-article-button\"><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"article-listen-container__text\" data-testid=\"listen-to-article-text\">Listen to this article<\/span><span aria-hidden=\"true\">\u00a0|\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"article-listen-container__duration\">3 mins<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/button><button tabindex=\"0\" class=\"tooltip-accessible_trigger\"><svg class=\"icon icon--info icon--main-grey-dark icon--16 listen-to-article-tooltip__icon\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.1\" aria-hidden=\"true\" role=\"presentation\"><title>info<\/title><path class=\"icon-main-color\" d=\"M12 0a12 12 0 1 0 0 24 12 12 0 0 0 0-24Zm-.226 3.225a2.039 2.039 0 0 1 2.155 1.924v.193a1.998 1.998 0 0 1-2.155 2.149 2.029 2.029 0 0 1-2.146-2.15 2.039 2.039 0 0 1 1.955-2.122h.193l-.002.006Zm3.227 15.525a.75.75 0 0 1-.752.75H9.75a.75.75 0 0 1-.75-.75v-1.5a.75.75 0 0 1 .752-.75h.748V12h-.75a.75.75 0 0 1-.75-.75v-1.5a.75.75 0 0 1 .752-.751h3a.75.75 0 0 1 .75.752v6.75h.75a.75.75 0 0 1 .75.749L15 18.75Z\"\/><\/svg><\/button><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"byline byline--single-avatar\">\n<div class=\"avatars-container\">\n<div class=\"responsive-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/2017-06-08T131939Z_1189275883_RC11B0FE7F20_RTRMADP_3_GULF-QATAR-JAZEERA-1714943623.jpg?resize=96%2C96&amp;quality=80 96w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 96px) 96px, 96px\" aria-hidden=\"true\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-dates\">\n<p><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Published On 18 Feb 2026<\/span><span aria-hidden=\"true\">18 Feb 2026<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"rich-share\" data-testid=\"rich-share\">\n<div class=\"rich-share__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"rich-share__button-wrapper\"><button class=\"rich-share__button row\" aria-expanded=\"false\"><\/p>\n<p>Click here to share on social media<\/p>\n<p><svg class=\"icon icon--share2 icon--primary icon--16 \" viewbox=\"0 0 20 16\" version=\"1.1\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><title>share2<\/title><path fill=\"#000\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"M11.688 9.048c-.659 0-1.252.282-1.673.733l-4.92-2.45c.016-.115.028-.232.028-.352 0-.117-.011-.23-.027-.343l4.913-2.423a2.285 2.285 0 0 0 1.68.739C12.964 4.952 14 3.899 14 2.6 14 1.302 12.965.25 11.688.25S9.377 1.302 9.377 2.601c0 .117.01.23.027.343L4.49 5.367a2.285 2.285 0 0 0-1.68-.739C1.536 4.628.5 5.681.5 6.979c0 1.299 1.035 2.35 2.312 2.35.659 0 1.252-.281 1.673-.731l4.92 2.45a2.357 2.357 0 0 0-.029.351c0 1.299 1.035 2.351 2.312 2.351S14 12.698 14 11.399s-1.035-2.35-2.312-2.35Z\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\"\/><\/svg><\/button><\/p>\n<p class=\"rich-share__social-text\">Share<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div aria-live=\"polite\" aria-atomic=\"true\">\n<p>Russian President Vladimir Putin has slammed new restrictions imposed by the United States on Cuba as \u201cunacceptable\u201d, as he met Cuban \u2060Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez in the Kremlin, Russian state news agencies reported.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is a special period, with new sanctions,\u201d Putin said on Wednesday, according to Russian state-owned news agency TASS. \u201cYou know how we feel about this. We do not accept anything like this.\u201d<\/p>\n<section class=\"more-on\">\n<h2 class=\"more-on__heading\">Recommended Stories<!-- --> <\/h2>\n<p><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">list of 3 items<\/span><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">end of list<\/span><\/section>\n<p>In separate talks with Rodriguez, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Moscow is urging the US not to \u2060impose a full naval \u2060blockade on the island, advocating negotiations instead.<\/p>\n<p>Lavrov called on Washington to \u201cshow sound judgement and a responsible approach, and refrain from plans to impose a naval blockade\u201d on Cuba, according to TASS.<\/p>\n<p>He also said Moscow \u201ccategorically rejects\u201d that cooperation between Russia and Cuba may be seen to pose a threat to the US or other countries.<\/p>\n<p>Rodriguez expressed concern about Washington\u2019s actions, which he said threatened the sovereignty of all countries.<\/p>\n<p>Cuba will continue to \u201cresolutely move forward in protecting its independence and sovereignty\u201d, and seek solutions for its economy, he added, according to TASS.<\/p>\n<p>Rodriguez also said Havana would \u201calways be ready for a respectful dialogue on equal terms with any country\u201d and honour its agreements with Moscow, despite the difficulties.<\/p>\n<p>The island nation of 11 million is staggering under the yoke of major fuel shortages after US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on January 29 authorising the imposition of trade tariffs on imports of oil from third countries to Cuba.<\/p>\n<p>United Nations experts have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ohchr.org\/en\/press-releases\/2026\/02\/un-experts-condemn-us-executive-order-imposing-fuel-blockade-cuba\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">condemned the move<\/a>, describing it as \u201cunilateral economic coercion with extraterritorial effects\u201d.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"dramatic-changes-very-soon\">\u2018Dramatic changes very soon\u2019<\/h2>\n<p class=\"tr-story-p1\">The White House said on Wednesday it is in Cuba\u2019s best interest to make significant changes soon, but stopped short of calling for a change in government leadership there.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey are a regime that is falling. Their country is collapsing and that\u2019s why we believe it\u2019s in their best interest to make very dramatic changes very soon,\u201d White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters.<\/p>\n<p>Dmitry Peskov, Putin\u2019s spokesman, was quoted by TASS as saying that Moscow did not discuss the Cuba issue with Washington during trilateral peace talks in Geneva earlier on Wednesday.<\/p>\n<p>He insisted that Russia values its relations with Cuba and intends to \u201cfurther develop them, of course, during difficult times, by providing appropriate assistance to our friends.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Asked whether sending fuel to Cuba could derail a recent warming of ties with Washington, Peskov responded, \u201cWe don\u2019t think these issues are linked.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Venezuela, one of Cuba\u2019s main oil suppliers, stopped selling crude to the island in January after the US captured then-President Nicolas Maduro in a predawn raid and flew him to New York to face drug trafficking charges.<\/p>\n<p>Mexico also cut off oil shipments to Cuba in January, after Trump threatened to impose tariffs.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Meeting comes as White House says it wants to see \u2018dramatic changes very soon\u2019 in Cuba, calls government \u2018failing\u2019. Listen to this article\u00a0|\u00a03 mins info Published On 18 Feb 202618 Feb 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share Russian President Vladimir Putin has slammed new restrictions imposed by the United States on [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12686,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12685","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latin-america-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12685","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12685"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12685\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/12686"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12685"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=12685"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=12685"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}