MOSCOW - Cuban President Raul Castro will arrive in Moscow on Wednesday for his first visit as Cuba's leader, the Kremlin said, underlining the revival in ties between Moscow and its Cold War ally.

Castro and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev are scheduled to meet informally on Thursday and gather for official talks on Friday during his week-long trip to Moscow, the Kremlin said on Tuesday.

"There will be an informal meeting in Zavidovo" on Thursday, a Kremlin official told AFP, referring to the presidential residence in the Tver region outside Moscow.

The Kremlin usually reserves meetings at that residence for special guests.

Medvedev had invited Raul Castro to Moscow while visiting the Communist island nation in November as part of a Latin American tour intended to boost Moscow's influence in the region.

In December, Russian warships visited US foe Cuba for the first time since the Soviet era.

Relations between Cuba and Russia had been distant since the collapse of the Soviet Union but were renewed by a visit by then-president Vladimir Putin in 2000.

Russia is considering a 20 million dollar loan to Cuba which would be spent on buying Russian goods, Putin said last week, as Russia seeks to revive ties with its Soviet-era ally.

Raul Castro has led Cuba since 2006 when his brother, long-time leader and revolutionary icon Fidel Castro, was forced to step aside for health reasons.