Kremlin says Cuba situation is escalating, humanitarian needs must be solved

Tensions rise in Cuba as Cuban forces kill four exiles aboard a Florida-registered speedboat, prompting the Kremlin to call the incident an "aggressive provocation" and urge restraint.

Dmitry Antonov/Reuters

February 26, 2026

FILE PHOTO: Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov attends a meeting of Russian President Vladimir Putin with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, January 22, 2026.

Ramil Sitdikov/Reuters

The Kremlin said on Thursday that the situation in Cuba was heating up and called for restraint after a deadly incident with a Florida-registered speedboat off the coast of the Caribbean island.

Cuban forces killed four exiles and wounded six others who sailed into Cuban waters aboard a speedboat on Wednesday and opened fire on a Cuban patrol in what Russia condemned as an "aggressive provocation by the United States" at a time of heightened tensions with Washington.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that the most important thing was to resolve Cubans' humanitarian needs, a process he said nobody should obstruct.

-Dmitry Antonov/Reuters

The Kremlin said on Thursday that the situation in Cuba was heating up and called for restraint after a deadly incident with a Florida-registered speedboat off the coast of the Caribbean island.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that the most important thing was to resolve Cubans' humanitarian needs, a process he said nobody should obstruct.

-Dmitry Antonov/Reuters