Russian President Vladimir Putin is taking a break from the tense environment in Eastern Europe to forge ties with Latin American countries this week and next.

Putin kicked off his six-day Latin American tour Friday in an attempt to bolster trade and diplomatic tries in Latin American countries. He began the tour Friday in Cuba, where he met with President Raul Castro and former Cuban leader Fidel Castro, according to The Associated Press.

Putin arrived before dawn, the AP reported, adding that he "was greeted by Cuban Vice President Miguel Diaz-Canel."

Putin's tour is focused on strengthening "economic and commercial ties" in the region, as well as developing investment in projects in transportation, energy and civil aviation, the AP reported.

"Today, cooperation with Latin American states is one of the key and promising lines of Russia's foreign policy," Putin told Cuban state news agency Prensa Latina, according to the AP.

Cuba and other Latin American nations have been sympathetic to Russia's position in the Russian/Ukrainian conflict, or are at least not very critical of Russia's actions.

In Cuban state newspapers, the crisis is described "as a struggle against right-wing extremism" that threatens Russians living in Ukraine, the AP reported. Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez also criticized both the U.S. and the E.U. for levying sanctions on Russian officials in Putin's inner circle and on pro-Russian rebels fighting in eastern provinces in Ukraine.

Argentina also has shown some support for Russia in openly conveying anti-U.S. sentiments. Argentine President Cristina Fernandez accused the U.K. and the U.S. of having a double standard, saying the U.S. criticized Crimea's secession referendum to secede from Ukraine, but supported a referendum vote that allowed the Falkland Islands to remain an overseas territory of the United Kingdom.

Brazil, another stop on Putin's tour, opposed the exclusion of Russia from an upcoming G20 summit in Australia due to Russia's annexation of Crimea.

"We are grateful to South Americans for the support of our international initiatives, including outer space demilitarization, strengthening international information security and combating the glorification of Nazism," Putin told Prensa Latina.

Moscow and Havana have had diplomatic ties since the Cold War, when they were both ideologically united against U.S. capitalism. Yet, the two countries drifted ideologically after the Soviet Union fell in the early 1990s.

Putin visited Cuba in December 2000 and promised to rebuild ties with the country.

In February, Russia committed to expanding its global presence militarily, and asked Cuba for permission to use its navy ships in Cuban and other Latin American countries' ports.

Russia has docked an intelligence-gathering vessel in Havana many times in the past few months.

Moscow is also bolstering economic ties by implementing a deal that forgives 90 percent of Cuba's debt that was amassed during the Soviet era, which adds up to more than $35 billion. Havana will invest the remainder in education.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also visited Cuba in April.

On Saturday, Putin will travel to Argentina, and will then go to Brazil from July 13-16 "for a presidential summit of the BRICS group of nations in Fortaleza," the AP reported.

He will also attend the final World Cup match and the handover of host duties for the marquee tournament, which will be held in Russia in 2018.