Cuban forces killed four exiles and wounded six others who sailed into Cuban waters aboard a speedboat on Wednesday and opened fire on a Cuban patrol in what Russia condemned as an “aggressive provocation by the United States” at a time of heightened tensions with Washington.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that the most important thing was to resolve Cubans’ socio-economic and humanitarian needs.

“The situation around Cuba, as we can see, is heating up. The main thing is the humanitarian component. All humanitarian issues concerning Cuban citizens must be resolved, and no one should create obstacles,” Peskov told reporters.

“As for security around the island, it is, of course, very important that everyone remain restrained and refrain from any provocative actions”.