The Cuban government has issued a strong condemnation of a new US executive order aimed at imposing tariffs on countries supplying oil to the island. The Foreign Ministry's statement labels the measure as a blatant violation of international law and a threat to regional peace. Cuba reaffirms its willingness for respectful dialogue and rejects any form of coercion.
On January 30, 2026, Cuba's revolutionary government issued an official statement responding to the US president's executive order announced on January 29. The measure declares a supposed national emergency to justify trade tariffs on imports from nations supplying fuel to Cuba, leveling unfounded accusations against the island as an 'unusual and extraordinary threat' to US security.
The Cuban declaration condemns this as an escalation of the economic blockade begun during Donald Trump's first term, aimed at strangling the island's economy through blackmail and coercion of third countries. 'The government of the United States, through blackmail, threats, and direct coercion of third countries, seeks to add further pressure to the economic suffocation measures,' the text states. Cuba argues that it violates international law and undermines the proclamation of Latin America and the Caribbean as a Zone of Peace.
Despite 67 years of failed attempts to defeat Cuba's revolutionary process, rooted in sovereignty, social justice, and the promotion of peace, the island upholds its openness to serious dialogue with Washington, based on sovereign equality, mutual respect, and non-interference. 'Cuba poses no threat whatsoever to the United States, its national interests, or the well-being of that country's citizens,' the statement emphasizes, highlighting the nation's peaceful and supportive character.
Cuba's brave and combative people will resist this economic aggression, intended to break their resolve for independence. The international community faces the challenge of rejecting such impunity, with Cuba confronting the offensive 'with firmness, composure, and the certainty that reason is entirely on our side.' The declaration ends with the motto: 'Homeland or Death, We Shall Overcome!'