UNITED NATIONS (Sputnik) — Castro’s remarks come as NATO stepped up its military presence in Eastern Europe and the Black Sea over the past week, following the outburst of conflict in southeastern Ukraine. Russia has warned that NATO’s build up and expansion close to its borders is provocative and threatens regional stability.
"We reaffirm our rejection to the intention to expand the presence of NATO up to the Russian borders, as well as the unilateral and unfair sanctions imposed on that nation," Castro stated on Monday.
The United States, the European Union and some of their allies imposed several rounds of sanctions against Moscow following Crimea’s unification with Russia in March 2014. The Western countries have accused Russia of meddling in the Ukraine, but Moscow has repeatedly refuted the charges.
Cuba and Russia have enjoyed warm relations, dating back to Soviet times. According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, Moscow and Havana are preparing to launch large-scale joint projects in the fields of energy and civil aviation, as well as a program to modernize Cuba’s power plants.
