Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel began his three-day visit to Russia with a stopover in St. Petersburg, the country’s second largest city.
He was greeted by Yevgeny Grigoriev, chairman of the foreign affairs committee of St. Petersburg, and embarked on a tour of the Hermitage gallery and then visited the cemetery dedicated to the victims of the Leningrad blockade during World War II.
"The Cuban president will spend two days in St. Petersburg. On Monday, he is scheduled to meet with the city mayor, Aleksandr Byeglov, and will later head to Moscow," a spokesperson said, as cited by TASS, noting that at the meeting the sides planned to discuss cooperation between St. Petersburg and Cuba.
It is not clear whether the Cuban president will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin during his visit, although he announced the plan prior to his arrival.
The Russian visit is part of a European tour that already included Ireland, Belarus, and Azerbaijan.
During his journey, Diaz-Canel has denounced the U.S. blockade against his country and its harmful effects on Cuba’s economy.
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