Lithuania intensifies Cuba focus to maintain US role in Baltic security

VILNIUS - Lithuanian diplomacy intensified its focus on Cuba in a strategic move to maintain US engagement in Baltic security affairs, the public broadcaster LRT reported on Tuesday.

In late March, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys attended the Miami Security Forum to discuss Western Hemisphere threats, including narco-terrorism, mass migration, criminal dictatorships, and the growing influence of Russia, China, and Iran. During the visit, Budrys also met with Cuban activists.

LRT reported that Lithuania’s focus on Cuba is driven by the political landscape in Washington, where former US President Donald Trump’s Secretary of State and National Security Advisor Marco Rubio is of Cuban descent, alongside numerous Hispanic members of Congress with roots in Cuba or Latin America.

In November, Lithuania abstained from a United Nations General Assembly resolution calling for an end to the US embargo on Cuba.

"As allies, we must have clear interests, understand the interests of our partners, and identify where we can provide mutual support. This is how relationships work. It cannot be a one-way street where we only receive support when we need it," Budrys told LRT.

According to LRT, Lithuania’s hostility toward communist Cuba as a means to gain influence in Washington is not entirely new. Lithuania remains the only European Union member state that has not ratified the 2016 European Union-Cuba cooperation agreement.