Cuba strongly condemns the sanctions unilaterally imposed on the Russian Federation, said President Miguel Díaz-Canel today, speaking before the deputies of the State Duma

 In what was the first speech by a Cuban leader in the Duma or lower house of the Russian parliament, Díaz-Canel said that the causes of the conflict in Ukraine should be sought in the policies of the United States and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

This aggressive policy of Washington and the expansion of NATO towards the borders of the Russian Federation are what have brought about the current situation in Eastern Europe, the Cuban leader said.

Díaz-Canel stressed that Havana has repeatedly condemned the sanctions against Russia, and advocates a solution to the conflict through negotiations.

After his speech in the State Duma, the Cuban leader will hold meetings with members of the Federation Council known as the Senate or Upper House, and with the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Kirill.

As the culmination of his four-day official visit to the Russian Federation, Díaz-Canel, together with President Vladimir Putin, will inaugurate a monument to the historic leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro, in the square that bears his name, located in Moscow’s Sokol neighborhood. Afterwards, the two leaders will hold talks to review the current state and prospects for the development of the Russian-Cuban strategic partnership in the political, trade and economic, cultural and humanitarian fields, and will exchange views on key issues on the international agenda.