Russia has condemned an attack on the Cuban embassy in the United States and demanded an investigation into the circumstances behind it.
Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the attack in which two Molotov cocktails were reportedly thrown “must not be left unpunished and those responsible for it should be punished heavily”.
She claimed it was not the first such crime against the Cuban diplomatic mission in Washington, and came amid what she said was “the atmosphere of ongoing threats against the government of the Island of Freedom”.
“Once again we call on the host country to unconditionally ensure the security of foreign diplomatic missions on its territory in strict compliance with international obligations. We express our solidarity with the brotherly people of the Republic of Cuba and our full support for their government,” she added.
For context: Russia has a longstanding friendship with Cuba, dating back to the time of the Soviet Union.
Cuba, which is only just over 100 miles from the US, played a significant role in the Cold War – with the Cuban Missile Crisis (in which Soviet missiles were briefly stationed on the island) considered the closest the two superpowers came to nuclear conflict.