Russia Cultivates BRICS and Cuban Alliances

- The recent BRICS meeting in Moscow focused on increasing the group's role in global decision-making and strengthening the position of the "Global Majority" in a reformed system of global governance. - BRICS expanded on January 1, 2024, by admitting Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates as new members, bringing the bloc's total share of world GDP to over 37%. - To deepen economic ties, Russia created a new National Committee for Business Cooperation within BRICS on February 16, 2026, to better coordinate activities between federal authorities and the private sector. - The U.S. embargo against Cuba, in place since the 1960s, was recently intensified by a January 29, 2026, executive order threatening tariffs on countries that supply oil to the island nation. - In response to the heightened sanctions causing severe fuel shortages in Cuba, Russia has announced it will soon begin shipments of oil and petroleum products as humanitarian aid. - Beyond the political talks, President Putin and Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla noted that their countries will jointly mark the centenary of Fidel Castro's birth in 2026. - Russia and Cuba signed a military cooperation agreement in 2025 that established frameworks for joint exercises and specialist exchanges.