The Cuban president, Miguel Diaz-Canel, said he would not resign under US pressure in his first television interview with an American broadcaster, while Russia insisted it would never abandon or betray its ally. An energy crisis has crippled Cuba since January when its main supply from Venezuela was cut off after the US seized Nicolás Maduro. As the tensions simmer between Washington, Russian deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov visited Cuba on Thursday, holding talks with Diaz-Canel. Ryabkov said Moscow’s help for Cuba would go beyond the large shipload of oil it had sent to the island last month. Despite threatening tariffs in early January on countries that sell or provide oil to Cuba, the Trump administration allowed the tanker to proceed.

Source: The Guardian April 10, 2026 09:16 UTC