Cuba Accuses US of Fueling Crisis

Cuba has accused the United States of escalating pressure on the island in a bid to trigger a humanitarian crisis, as Washington tightens sanctions and expands energy restrictions.

Speaking in Geneva on Monday, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez said the escalation includes what he described as an energy blockade aimed at destabilizing the country. He argued that Washington is using claims that Cuba poses an unusual threat to US national security to justify harsher measures, an accusation Havana strongly rejects.

President Donald Trump has reinforced the decades-old embargo imposed in 1962 and has pressed other nations to halt oil exports to Cuba. The move comes as the island struggles with severe fuel shortages, worsened by reduced supplies from Venezuela. The energy crisis has resulted in repeated nationwide blackouts and increasing economic hardship.

Rodríguez characterized the measures as unlawful and punitive, saying they amount to collective punishment of the Cuban population. In late January, Trump signed an executive order formally designating Cuba as an extraordinary threat to US security, further escalating diplomatic tensions between Washington and Havana.

Cuban officials insist the country poses no danger to any nation and reject the justification for expanded sanctions. Rodríguez also warned that neutrality in the face of what he described as attempts at global dominance could put all countries at risk. He urged nations participating in the Geneva disarmament conference to form a broad international alliance amid rising geopolitical instability.

Addressing the UN Human Rights Council later the same day, Rodríguez said Cuba would resist external pressure and defend its sovereignty and independence, even at significant cost.

Trump recently labeled Cuba a failed state and urged its leadership to reach an agreement with Washington, while ruling out regime change.

Earlier this month, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights expressed concern over Cuba’s worsening social and economic conditions, highlighting growing international alarm over the island’s deepening crisis.