{"id":250126,"date":"2022-03-09T14:43:02","date_gmt":"2022-03-09T19:43:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/?p=250126"},"modified":"2022-03-09T14:49:18","modified_gmt":"2022-03-09T19:49:18","slug":"cubas-position-on-war-in-ukraine-between-political-realism-and-international-law","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/opinion\/cubas-position-on-war-in-ukraine-between-political-realism-and-international-law\/","title":{"rendered":"Cuba\u2019s position on war in Ukraine: between political realism and international law"},"content":{"rendered":"

Russia\u2019s military offensive in Ukraine placed the Cuban government in a serious dilemma. How to position yourself against an action that violates international law and that, instead of the usual violators, has been committed by one of Cuba\u2019s main economic and political partners?<\/span><\/p>\n

Two days before the start of the Russian military operation, on February 22, the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MINREX) issued a <\/span>statement<\/span><\/a> advocating a diplomatic solution through dialogue and calling for the preservation of international peace and security. The next day, President Miguel D\u00edaz-Canel received Viacheslav Volodin, president of the Russian State Duma. According to a <\/span>note<\/span><\/a> published by the MINREX that same day, in addition to expressing \u201cits solidarity with the Russian Federation in the face of the imposition of sanctions and the expansion of NATO towards the borders of that country,\u201d the Cuban president would have advocated \u201cfor dialogue and a peaceful solution to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.\u201d Curiously, this last aspect, so relevant, was not equally reflected in a similar informative note published the following day in the <\/span>printed edition<\/span><\/a> of <\/span>Granma<\/span><\/i> newspaper.<\/span><\/p>\n

Two days after the start of hostilities, on February 26, the Cuban government issued a <\/span>statement <\/span><\/a>pointing to the expansion of NATO as the factor leading to the current scenario in Ukraine and stated that \u201cRussia has the right to defend itself.\u201d On the other hand, through a fine exercise of verbal juggling, it recognized the \u201cuse of force and the non-observance of legal principles and international regulations,\u201d but without explicitly censuring Russia. Likewise, it ratified Cuba\u2019s adherence to international law and its commitment to the Charter of the United Nations, in addition to proclaiming that it \u201cwill always defend peace and oppose the use or threat of force against any State.\u201d Finally, among other aspects, it advocated a serious, constructive and realistic diplomatic solution to the crisis.<\/span><\/p>\n

At the same time, the conflict in Ukraine has provoked a diplomatic frenzy in the United Nations system. On February 25, <\/span>Russia vetoed<\/span><\/a> a resolution condemning its actions in the Security Council, introduced by Albania and the United States. A <\/span>similar initiative<\/span><\/a> was approved in the General Assembly on March 2, with broad majority support (141 votes in favor and 5 against), although it should be noted that it was not supported by a bit more than a quarter of the UN member countries, a fairly significant number at the current juncture when the United States and its Western allies are trying to establish the image that the entire world is resolutely opposed to the Russian military intervention. <\/span><\/p>\n

Cuba was among those that abstained, accompanied by 34 other countries, including some with which it has important bilateral ties or that hold significant weight at the global or regional level, such as Angola, Algeria, China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, South Africa and Vietnam. Twelve other countries, including Venezuela, did not participate in the vote. Subsequently, on March 4, another <\/span>resolution<\/span><\/a> of the same tenor was approved in the Human Rights Council with 32 votes in favor, 2 against and 13 abstentions, including that of Cuba among the latter.<\/span><\/p>\n

Spirit of Ostpolitik or disaster at the gates of Europe<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n