Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Cuba Friday on the first stop of a tour of Latin America that will also take him to Argentina and Brazil

Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Cuba Friday on the first stop of a tour of Latin America that will also take him to Argentina and Brazil, Cuban media reported.
  
Putin was welcomed at Havana's Jose Marti International Airport early Friday by First Vice President Miguel Diaz-Canel, Russian diplomats and other officials, the Prensa Latina news agency said.
  
The visit is Putin's second to the communist island in 14 years, the agency reported, saying his itinerary includes official talks with Cuban President Raul Castro.
  
The Kremlin said the Russian leader would also be meeting with the father of the Cuban Revolution, 87-year-old Fidel Castro.

Ahead of the visit, Russia wrote off 90 percent of Cuba's Soviet-era debt of more than $30 billion.

Before boarding the plane to Cuba, Putin said he hoped to increase Russian investments in, and trade with, Latin America. Putin is expected to visit Argentina Saturday and attend the World Cup final in Brazil Sunday before participating in a summit of the BRICS group of emerging economies next week.