Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with visiting Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel. (Kremlin photo)
Russia has always had a particularly good understanding for Cuba's independent stand and sovereign policy, Putin said.
MOSCOW, Oct. 29 (Xinhua) -- Russia and Cuba are actively cooperating and supporting one another on the international arena, Russian President Vladimir Putin told visiting Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel on Tuesday.
"Russia has always had a particularly good understanding for Cuba's independent stand and sovereign policy," Putin said at a meeting with Diaz-Canel, according to a Kremlin transcript.
Putin noted that Russia-Cuba trade started to grow last year, up 33 percent. He also accepted Diaz-Canel's invitation to visit Cuba at a possible time.
Diaz-Canel said that the first stop of his trip to Europe as the Cuban president was Russia, which showed that Havana prioritizes relations with Moscow.
He said that the visit of Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev to Cuba earlier this month indicated that Russia and Cuba's positions remain unchanged under threats from the United States.
Diaz-Canel accepted the invitation to attend the celebrations in Moscow on May 9, 2020, marking the 75th anniversary of victory over Nazi Germany. ■
