CUBA, RELATIONS WITH

During the second half of theCold War, Cuba enjoyed the status ofprimus inter paresamong the Soviet Union’s satellites. However, during the period ofglasnost, the Caribbean nation became a principal target for domestic critics who resented the large subsidies that kept Fidel Castro’s regime solvent. In 1991, Moscow began to divest from Cuba, canceling a number of joint projects. Two years later, the Russian Federation removed all itsmilitarypersonnel from the country, though anespionagestation was maintained at Lourdes near Havana until 2002.Economic contacts during the earlyYeltsinadministration were dramatically reduced; however, the two countries did participate in a “sugar foroil” program. Under pressure from Washington, Foreign MinisterAndrey Kozyrevoversaw Moscow’s near-total delinking from Havana in the 1990s. Without its Cold War patron, the Castro government was forced to reform its inefficient economy and seek new allies, ultimately settling onVenezuelaafter the election of Hugo Chavez. With the new foreign policy vector underYevgeny Primakov, Cuba resumed its strategic position as a counterweight to theUnited States, although the Russianfinancial crisis of 1998precluded substantive economic aid to the impoverished island. Upon becoming president,Vladimir Putinpublicly criticized his predecessor’s treatment of Cuba. Since 2000, relations have improved steadily. In 2008,Dmitry Medvyedevvisited Cuba’s new leader, Raul Castro, and declared the dawn of “intense” new contacts between the countries, including possible Caribbean oil exploration by Russian transnational corporations.

See alsoForeign relations.