Russia is strengthening its alliance with Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Cuba, as the United States accelerates its campaign to isolate all four countries.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told his country’s parliament, the Duma, that Moscow was expanding its cooperation with the three socialist Latin American governments in all areas, including “military-technical cooperation.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin had friendly phone calls with Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, and Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel between January 18 and 24, reaffirming Moscow’s “unwavering support.”
The Donald Trump administration dubbed Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Cuba the so-called “Troika of Tyranny,” in comments made by neoconservative former National Security Advisor John Bolton.
The United States has imposed unilateral economic sanctions, which are illegal under international law, on all three. Venezuela is suffering under an unlawful US embargo, and Cuba has been crushed by a US blockade for six decades – while more than 95% of the members of the United Nations General Assembly have voted to condemn this blockade annually for 29 years.
Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov explained that, in recent talks with the leaders of these three Latin American countries, “Ways to deepen our strategic association were looked at in all areas, without exception.”
“In terms of Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela, we have very close relations and strategic cooperation in all areas: in the economy, culture, education, and military-technical cooperation,” he said.
“Our partnership with Latin American countries is deepening,” Lavrov added, calling them “three friendly states close to us.”
US declares Latin America its ‘front yard,’ while pushing for war in Russia’s neighbor Ukraine
While Russia strengthens its alliance with Latin American leftists, Joe Biden has resorted to neocolonial rhetoric. In a January 19 press conference, the US president referred to Latin America as Washington’s “front yard,” declaring, “Everything south of the Mexican border is America’s front yard.”
These diplomatic moves come at a point of historic high tensions between Washington and Moscow.
The United States and Britain have provoked a crisis in Russia’s neighbor Ukraine, sending weapons and encouraging a military buildup that could spill over into war.
This follows years of instability caused by a violent coup in Ukraine in 2014, which was sponsored by the US and the European Union in order to install a pro-Western and vehemently anti-Russian government in Kiev.
Washington and London have insisted, without presenting any evidence, that Russia will soon send troops to take over Ukraine – although top officials in Kiev have publicly denied that Russia plans to invade their country.
Russia has demanded that the United States pledge not to expand NATO further and not to deploy more weapons and soldiers to the nations on its borders.
Washington and Moscow held talks in Geneva, but they broke down on January 13, because the US refused to make any concessions.
Faced with the diplomatic dead-end, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told a Russian media outlet that Moscow could not rule out the possibility of sending a military deployment to Venezuela or Cuba.
Putin calls presidents of Nicaragua, Venezuela, and Cuba
Russia’s alliance with Nicaragua, Venezuela, and Cuba was reaffirmed in recent conversations President Putin had with the leaders of the three socialist Latin American states.
Putin called Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega on January 18, congratulating him on his re-election and January 10 inauguration.
According to the readout from the Foreign Ministry, Putin “reaffirmed Russia’s unwavering support for the efforts of the Nicaraguan Government to ensure national sovereignty and its commitment to continue facilitating the republic’s socioeconomic development.” They also “reaffirmed the importance of continued close cooperation in the international arena in keeping with the strategic partnership between Russia and Nicaragua.”
On January 20, Putin called Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. The Foreign Ministry used very similar language to describe the call: the “leaders reaffirmed their commitment to close coordination in international affairs in keeping with the principles of strategic partnership that underlie bilateral relations,” and “Putin expressed his unwavering support for the Venezuelan authorities’ efforts to strengthen the sovereignty of the country and ensure its socioeconomic development.”
Then on January 24, Putin called Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel, and Moscow said the “presidents discussed further coordination of Russia’s and Cuba’s actions in the international arena in line with the principles of strategic partnership and the traditions of friendship and mutual understanding.”
