Media: Kremlin to grant Cuba $50 million loan for purchasing Russian weapons
Russia will grant Cuba a loan of $50 million, the newspaper Kommersant reported with reference to two sources in the arms exports and military industry. According to the sources, the money will be used to purchase Russian weapons.
They said that the corresponding document will be signed at the coming meeting of the intergovernmental commission on trade and scientific-technical cooperation between the two countries. The meeting will be held on October 29-30 in Havana. The Russian delegation will be headed by Deputy Prime Minister Yury Borisov. He will be accompanied by a subgroup from the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation headed by Deputy Head of the Service Anatoly Punchuk.
According to the newspaper, the administrative documents on the package of agreements in the sphere of Military-Technical Cooperation have already been signed. Moscow will grant Havana a loan of $50 million for the purchase of weapons under a series of contracts. The source of the newspaper, familiar with the negotiations, stated that the money will be spent exclusively on the military cooperation. “In addition to this agreement, there will be a number of other documents and contracts overseen by the Ministry of Finance but they will be financed by other sources,” the interlocutor said.
The source of the newspaper in the defense industry said that Cuba was going to purchase armored vehicles and, possibly, aircraft (presumably helicopters) from the Russian Defense Ministry. The purchase will include spare parts, tools and accessories, as well as facilities for previously supplied equipment, the source said. In addition, Havana plans to purchase industrial equipment under separate contracts on a commercial basis. The top manager of one of the enterprises of the military-industrial complex reported that the cooperation may include a project on small arms.