Cuba Vows to Fight ‘Terrorist Aggression’ after Attack from US-registered Boat

THE GUARDIAN: Cuban president says country will ‘defend itself with determination’ after deadly coastal assault from exiles

Screenshot from this Guardian article. | Cuba's president, Miguel Diaz-Canel, arrives for a meeting with the UN secretary-general, on the sidelines of the 73rd session of the UN general assembly, at the UN headquarters in November 2019. | Photograph: Jason DeCrow/AP
Cuba has vowed to defend itself against any “terrorist and mercenary aggression”, a day after border guards said they had killed four exiles on a Florida-registered speedboat that opened fire on a patrol.

Cuba’s president, Miguel Díaz-Canel, wrote on X that the Caribbean country will “defend itself with determination and firmness” after the incident in which six other people on the boat were injured.

The incident has the potential to crank up tensions between Washington and Havana, which have been at at odds since US forces seized Cuba’s key ally, the Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, and the Trump administration imposed an oil blockade on the island in January. » | Ruaridh Nicoll in Havana | Thursday, February 26, 2026

Cuba Kills 4 Exiles Trying to "Infiltrate" Island by Boat as U.S. “Medieval Siege” of Cuba Continues

Feb 26, 2026 | Cuban exiles on a U.S.-registered speedboat attempted to enter Cuba undetected, but were confronted by border patrol in Cuban waters on Wednesday. According to the Cuban Interior Ministry, the Cuban nationals on the speedboat fired on the border agents who then returned fire — killing four and injuring six of the men. This comes as the Trump administration’s blockade of fuel has triggered a severe humanitarian and economic crisis in Cuba, compounding the impact of the U.S. economic embargo in place since 1962. In response to the growing humanitarian crisis, activists are organizing a flotilla to deliver aid to the island. “We cannot allow us to go back to the days of gunboat diplomacy, where the U.S. thinks that it is allowed to violate sovereign nations, and it can have hegemony over the hemisphere,” says CodePink co-founder Medea Benjamin, who is taking part in the flotilla. “These are sovereign countries. We must leave them alone.”

Americans are a cruel people. Trump is especially cruel. Americans call themselves Christian—Nay! They insist that they are Christian—but Jesus wouldn’t recognise them as such. Americans are about as far away from Christianity and Christian principles as it is possible to get! Greed, cruelty, and mercilessness abounds in America, especially under the leadership of Trump and his cronies.

I am no communist sympathiser. But so what if a tiny island such as Cuba chooses to live by communist principles? What possible difference could this make to the Goliath that is America today?

Instead of going to church next Sunday, I suggest that Americans look into their mirrors and ask themselves one simple question: Am I really living according to Christian principles? — © Mark Alexander

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Cuba Says It Shot Dead Four People on US-registered Speedboat

BBC: Four people shot dead by Cuban border guards in a US-registered speedboat were Cuban nationals living in the United States, Cuba's government said.

In a statement posted online, Cuba's interior ministry said that the speedboat's passengers - the four who were killed and six others who were wounded, also Cuban citizens - opened fire on a coast guard vessel that approached them near an island off the country's northern coast on Wednesday.

The 10 individuals, some with previous criminal records, were armed and intended to "carry out an infiltration for terrorist purposes", the statement said. » | Bernd Debusmann Jr, White House reporter and Max Matza | Wednesday, February 25, 2026

How the U.S. Is Crippling Cuba’s Economy

Cuba is facing its worst economic crisis in 67 years. Blackouts and fuel shortages have worsened after President Trump tightened restrictions on oil. Our international correspondent Frances Robles talks with Katrin Bennhold about the current situation in Cuba. | Frances Robles, Katrin Bennhold, Leila Medina, Alexandra Ostasiewicz, Rafaela Balster and Parin Behrooz | Tuesday, February 24, 2026
Watch the NYT video here.

Cuba accuse les États-Unis de vouloir provoquer une «catastrophe humanitaire» sur l’île

LE FIGARO : Ces dernières semaines, le président américain Donald Trump a intensifié l’embargo américain sur l’île communiste, en vigueur depuis 1962.

Le ministre cubain des Affaires étrangères a estimé lundi à Genève que l'« escalade agressive » menée contre l'île par les États-Unis visait à « provoquer une catastrophe humanitaire » dans le pays. » | Par Le Figaro avec AFP | lundi 23 février 2026

Vijay Prashad Exposes The "Narco Rubio" Hypocrisy

Feb 21, 2026 | Historian and journalist Vijay Prashad breaks down the decades-long blockade on Cuba and argues the latest escalation is designed to suffocate the country’s energy and infrastructure.

Un nuevo bloqueo de EE. UU. está sofocando a Cuba

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Un análisis de los movimientos de barcos muestra que el gobierno de Trump está consiguiendo aislar a la isla en uno de sus momentos más vulnerables.

Cuba se enfrenta al primer bloqueo efectivo de Estados Unidos desde la Crisis de los Misiles y se está quedando rápidamente sin combustible, lo que empuja a la nación hacia una crisis humanitaria y a su gobierno al borde del colapso, según un análisis de The New York Times de datos de transporte marítimo e imágenes de satélite.

Desde hace meses, los buques petroleros cubanos apenas han abandonado las costas de la isla. Los aliados ricos en petróleo han interrumpido los envíos o se han negado a acudir al rescate. El ejército estadounidense ha incautado barcos que apoyaban a Cuba. Y en los últimos días, los barcos que surcan el mar Caribe en busca de combustible para la isla se han quedado vacíos o han sido interceptados por las autoridades estadounidenses.

La semana pasada, un petrolero vinculado a Cuba quemó combustible durante cinco días para llegar al puerto de Curazao, pero luego partió sin carga, según datos de navegación e imágenes de satélite. Tres días después, los guardacostas estadounidenses interceptaron un petrolero lleno de combustóleo colombiano en ruta hacia Cuba que se había acercado a menos de 112 kilómetros de la isla, según mostraron los datos.

Aunque el presidente Donald Trump ha prometido detener cualquier envío de petróleo a Cuba, el gobierno de Estados Unidos se ha abstenido de calificar su política como un bloqueo. » | Jack Nicas and Christiaan Triebert | Jack Nicas informó desde Ciudad de México, y Christiaan Triebert desde Nueva York. | 20 de febrero de 2026

Read this article in English here.

The Real Story behind Cuba’s Collapse

Cuba is in crisis. As severe fuel shortages disrupt daily life across the island, US President Donald Trump has declared Cuba is "an unusual and extraordinary threat" to US national security. The US president has cutting off the flow of Venezuelan oil to the island and threated to slap tariffs on any nation supplying Cuba with fuel.

With no diesel to power collection trucks, rubbish is piling up across Havana. Extended blackouts are hitting homes, schools and hospitals, deepening what many describe as the country’s most serious humanitarian emergency in years.

President Trump has urged Cuban leaders to “make a deal,” escalating pressure as conditions worsen. So how far will Washington push Havana, and what could come next?

Cuba Crisis: Trump Fuel Blockade Causes Blackouts and Waste in Streets

Feb 17, 2026 | Cuba is facing a growing crisis as severe fuel shortages disrupt daily life across the island.

Rubbish is piling up in Havana with no diesel to power collection trucks, while extended blackouts are affecting homes, schools and hospitals.

Electric bikes and tricycles have replaced classic cars as Cubans struggle to get around. The shortages are linked to reduced oil shipments from Venezuela and intensified US sanctions.

President Donald Trump has urged Cuban leaders to “make a deal,” warning that the situation is a serious humanitarian threat.

With regional allies hesitant to step in, many Cubans are left facing an uncertain and increasingly difficult future.

No Fuel, No Tourists, No Cash – This Was the Week the Cuban Crisis Got Real

THE GUARDIAN: Diplomats in Havana are preparing for an alternative Trump tactic: the country being starved until people take to the streets and the US can step in

Among the verdant gardens of Havana’s diplomatic quarter, Siboney, ambassadors from countries traditionally allied to the United States are expressing increasing frustration with Washington’s attempt to unseat Cuba’s government, while simultaneously drawing up plans to draw down their missions.

Cuba is in crisis. Already reeling from a four-year economic slump, worsened by hyper-inflation and the migration of nearly 20% of the population, the 67-year-old communist government is at its weakest. After Washington’s successful military operation against Cuba’s ally Venezuela at the beginning of January, the US administration is actively seeking regime change.

The Guardian spoke to more than five top-level officials from different countries, and heard complaints that the US charge d’affaires, Mike Hammer, has failed to share any sort of detailed plan beyond bringing the island to a standstill by starving it of oil. One said: “There’s talk of human rights, and that this is the year Cuba changes – but little talk of what happens afterwards.”

Some hope that rumoured high-level discussions in Mexico between the Cuban government – in the form of Gen Alejandro Castro Espín, son of Cuba’s 94-year-old former president Raúl Castro – and US officials might produce a deal, but as yet there are no signs of progress.

Instead, diplomats in Havana are preparing for an alternative tactic: the country being starved until people take to the streets and the US can step in. “We’re trying to keep a cool head,” said one ambassador. “Embassies are built on planning for the unexpected – hopefully before it becomes expected,” said another. » | Ruaridh Nicoll in Havana | Sunday, February 15, 2026 | Additional reporting by Eileen Sosin

Cuba's U.N. Ambassador Denounces U.S. Oil Blockade, Push to Topple Government

Feb 13, 2026 | Cuba is facing a growing humanitarian crisis due to a U.S.-imposed oil blockade. The Trump administration has also threatened new tariffs against any nation that sends fuel to Cuba, which has been under a U.S. trade embargo since 1962. These measures have caused fuel shortages and widespread blackouts, while the cost of food and transportation has skyrocketed. "This is a massive violation of human rights," says Ernesto Soberón Guzmán, Cuban ambassador to the United Nations. "It's a massive violation of international law."

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Trump is a wicked, evil man! As is Marco Rubio.

One doesn’t have to endorse communism for one’s heart to go out to the longsuffering people of Cuba. These are human beings who are suffering needlessly. All the while, Trump and his warped acolytes are living in the lap of luxury.

There is no conceivable reason why Cuba should be considered a threat to the USA. This ‘war on Cuba’ is based solely on ideology and prejudice. Further, the endgame for Trump must surely be the dollar signs he is able to visualize when he can build Trump towers and hotels on the beautiful island. He must surely be salivating even as I write this over the billions he and his crooked family will be able to make from monetizing the island! For he will surely sequestrate any assets available in Cuba for himself, his bent family, and for his warped little helpers.

Had the US authorities had the balls to incarcerate Trump when they had the chance to do so, Cuba, Venezuela, and the rest of the world would have been spared the nightmare of Trump. Alas, the spunk was wanting! Now, we all have to suffer. Some, of course, more than others. – © Mark Alexander

Will Russia Defy Trump's Warning and Send Fuel to Its Old Ally Cuba? | DW News

Feb 12, 2026 | The Russian newspaper Izvestia is reporting that Moscow is planning to send crude oil and fuel to Cuba.

The country is suffering its worst energy crisis for years, after the US choked off its oil supplies. Cuba had long relied on its ally Venezuela for fuel, but those supplies dried up after the US abducted the country's president, Nicolás Maduro.

Like many countries, Russia is evacuating its tourists from the island and suspending all flights there, because of a lack of aviation fuel. Canadian airlines also suspended flights this week - and Cuba has warned international carriers that jet fuel is no longer available.

Ricardo Torres Pérez an economist and Research Fellow at American University’s Center for Latin American & Latino Studies talks to DW.

Cuba Receives Humanitarian Aid from Mexico as Trump’s Blockade Bites

Feb 12, 2026 | Humanitarian aid from Mexico has arrived in Havana, as Cuba continues to struggle under what amounts to a fuel blockade by the Trump administration.

Cuba’s Government Has Lasted 67 Years. Will It Fall Under Trump?

THE NEW YORK TIMES: The Trump administration, which has tightened the U.S. chokehold on Cuba by cutting off foreign oil, is betting that this is the Cuban communist revolution’s last year.

Celebrations broke out in front of Miami’s Versailles restaurant nearly 20 years ago after Fidel Castro announced that he was so sick he had to temporarily step down as president of Cuba.

Cuban exiles rejoiced again two years later when he quit for good — and once more when he died in 2016, though his brother Raúl Castro was president at the time.

Now, the country’s economy is in free fall, its electric grid is failing, millions of its citizens have left and the Cuban government is facing off against perhaps its most menacing foe: President Trump.

Mr. Trump has closed off Cuba’s access to oil shipments, helped cripple its vital tourism industry and declared that Cuba’s government is “going down for the count.”

The Trump administration and the many Cuban exiles who have been waiting nearly seven decades for the fall of Cuba’s Communist government said they believed this might finally be their moment.

After years of U.S. presidents trying various economic pressure tactics to hasten the demise of the Cuban government, the Trump administration’s cutoff of fuel has raised the ante drastically because oil keeps the country — from public transit to factories to farms — running.

…

After the U.S. military captured the Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, Mr. Trump halted Venezuelan oil to Cuba. Venezuela had long kept Cuba afloat with 35,000 barrels of oil a day in exchange for medical services by Cuban doctors. Read the whole article in today’s NYT HERE ». Y en español AQUÍ.

Cuba adopte des mesures d'urgence pour faire face à la crise énergétique, dont la semaine de quatre jours

LE FIGARO : Donald Trump a signé la semaine dernière un décret indiquant que les États-Unis pourraient frapper de droits de douane les pays vendant du pétrole à La Havane.

Le gouvernement cubain a annoncé vendredi un paquet de mesures d'urgence dans les domaines de l'éducation, du travail et du transport pour faire face à la crise énergétique que traverse le pays sous la pression des États-Unis.

Ces pressions « nous poussent à appliquer un ensemble de décisions, en premier lieu pour assurer la vie de notre pays, les services de base, sans renoncer au développement », a déclaré le vice-premier ministre Oscar Pérez-Oliva Fraga, à la télévision d’État. « Le carburant sera destiné à la protection des services essentiels à destination de la population et aux activités économiques indispensables », a-t-il ajouté. » | Par Le Figaro avec AFP | samedi 7 février 2026

Is Cuba’s Regime about to Collapse?

Learn more here.

US Is In Talks with Cuban Leadership, Says Trump, after Blockade Threats

THE GUARDIAN: US president announces efforts being made to strike a deal having earlier threatened to stop island importing oil

Washington is negotiating with Havana’s leadership to strike a deal, Donald Trump has said, days after threatening Cuba’s reeling economy with a virtual oil blockade.

“Cuba is a failing nation. It has been for a long time but now it doesn’t have Venezuela to prop it up. So we’re talking to the people from Cuba, the highest people in Cuba, to see what happens,” Trump told reporters at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida on Sunday.

“I think we’re going to make a deal with Cuba.”

Trump gave no indication what such a deal might entail. » | Agence France-Presse | Sunday, February 1, 2026

Mexico president says Trump tariffs on Cuba’s oil suppliers could trigger humanitarian crisis: Island country only has oil enough to last 15-20 days, and 12-hour blackouts have become commonplace »

Mexico’s President Says Cancellation of Oil Shipment to Cuba Is ‘Sovereign’ Decision

THE GUARDIAN: Claudia Sheinbaum denied move was response to pressure from the US, after Trump said ‘zero’ oil would go to Cuba

Mexico has cancelled a shipment of oil to Cuba, the country’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum, appeared to confirm on Tuesday, but she insisted the decision was “sovereign” and not the response to pressure from the US.

Fuel shortages are causing increasingly severe blackouts in Cuba, and Mexico has been the island’s biggest oil supplier since the US blocked shipments from Venezuela last month.

On Monday, Bloomberg reported that Pemex, Mexico’s state oil company, had “backtracked” on plans to send a much-needed delivery to Cuba this month.

Asked whether she denied the report in her daily press conference, Sheinbaum said: “It is a sovereign decision and it is made in the moment when necessary.” » | Thomas Graham in Tijuana | Tuesday, January 27, 2026

Trump has got them all kissing his ring! — © Mark Alexander

U.S Warns Cuba as China Steps In, Challenging U.S. Influence

Jan 27, 2026 | U.S Warns Cuba as China Steps In, Challenging U.S. Influence

This video explains why China has publicly pledged fresh support for Cuba as tensions with the United States rise again. It breaks down Beijing’s criticism of U.S. pressure, calls to lift sanctions, and Cuba’s defensive preparedness, while exploring how shifting power dynamics in the Caribbean and Latin America are drawing major global players into renewed diplomatic rivalry with potential regional consequences.

Cuba rend hommage à ses militaires tués au Venezuela

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