Cuba and US Relations

“The blockade suffocates and kills silently”

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Speech by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cuba, Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, in the United Nations General Assembly Debate under item 38, “Necessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the United States against Cuba”

Author:  | internet@granma.cu

Photo: Internet

Mr. President, Your Excellencies, Permanent Representatives, Distinguished Delegates:
Against Cuba, the United States government is waging a multidimensional, unconventional war that has lasted for almost seven decades and has become more brutal and ruthless in the last seven months.
Now, the energy blockade, equivalent to a naval blockade, has been added, which is an act of war. Access to fuel supplies to Cuba, both commercial and humanitarian, is being prevented through direct threats, unilateral coercive actions, and even the harassment or intimidation of tankers by U.S. naval forces.
There have been repeated threats of military aggression from the highest levels of the U.S. government, and public sources describe war options and preparations.
In addition to the economic, commercial, and financial blockade, unprecedented and extremely extraterritorial actions are being taken, such as the use of secondary sanctions that follow the macabre plan to provoke a humanitarian crisis in Cuba and the total destabilization of the country, paving the way for or forcing a presidential order for an imperialist military intervention that would cause a bloodbath and countless losses of Cuban and American lives.
When asked if economic pressure against Cuba would continue to intensify, President Donald Trump himself responded, and I quote: “I don’t think much more pressure can be exerted, short of going in and wrecking the place.”
In recent months, the humanitarian damage inflicted on our population has multiplied, with the deterioration of the quality of life, the reduction of livelihoods, the limitation of opportunities for personal, family, and social development, and the massive, flagrant, and systematic violation of the human rights of an entire people in an act of collective punishment.
These are all matters of high importance and urgency that deserve not only the attention but also the clearest pronouncement from the United Nations and its most universal and representative body, the General Assembly, by virtue of its mandate to preserve international peace and security and to ensure the enjoyment of human rights.
Cuban families, especially children and young people, and mothers, feel the suffering of prolonged and unbearable blackouts or power outages. Often, when there is no electricity, there is also no dri Continue reading “The blockade suffocates and kills silently” →

Cuban Medical Brigades

Cuban medical cooperation is the noblest face of the Revolution

Cuban medical cooperation is the noblest face of the Revolution

Values ​​such as altruism, courage, tenderness, and boundless dedication have distinguished Cuban medical collaboration for 63 years, a mission that to this day has extended its embrace of solidarity to 165 countries, with more than 600,000 healthcare workers who have saved the lives of 14 million people

Author:  | internet@granma.cu

Photo: ACN

Values ​​such as altruism, courage, tenderness, and boundless dedication have distinguished Cuban medical collaboration for 63 years, a mission that to this day has extended its embrace of solidarity to 165 countries, with more than 600,000 healthcare workers who have saved the lives of 14 million people.
This was stated by Dr. Tania Margarita Cruz Hernández, First Deputy Minister of Public Health, during the ceremony commemorating the 63rd anniversary of the start of Cuban medical collaboration. Also present were Arelis Marrero Guerrero, Deputy Head of the Department of Social Sector Services of the Central Committee of the Communist Party, and Dr. José Angel Portal Miranda, Minister of Public Health.
She noted that 18 million surgical procedures have been performed and more than five million births have been attended. “Children who came into the world thanks to Cubans and today bear the names of those professionals.”
She added that they have restored or improved the vision of 3,380,000 patients, and recalled the creation of the Medical Faculty Abroad and the Latin American School of Medicine (ELAM), which has trained more than 87,000 professionals from 150 countries.
Cruz Hernández highlighted the work of the Henry Reeve Contingent—founded by Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro Ruz in September 2005—which has carried out risky missions in 55 countries with 90 brigades. Currently, she added, “we have more than 16,000 collaborators in 50 countries around the world.”
In the face of imperialist aggression, she declared: “International medical cooperation has been the target of imperialist hostility, with governments being pressured to terminate medical cooperation agreements with Cuba. Who are they condemning? They are condemning the vulnerable, depriving them of the universal right to health and life.”

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The Defense of Cuba

Let Cuba Live in Peace, Cuba’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla

Let Cuba Live in Peace

Cuba’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, spoke during the UN Security Council’s open debate on the defense of the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter

Author:  | internet@granma.cu

Photo: Cubaminrex

New York, May 26, 2026.— Cuba’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, spoke during the UN Security Council’s open debate on the defense of the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, where he called for strengthening multilateralism, international law, and the Organization’s central role in preserving international peace and security.
In his remarks, he acknowledged China’s leadership in convening the debate and linked the defense of the international order to the need to address conflicts and threats affecting global stability.
In his speech, the Foreign Minister denounced U.S. policy toward Cuba, which he described as a violation of international law and a threat to regional peace. Rodríguez Parrilla rejected the indictment against Army General Raúl Castro Ruz, considering it a politically motivated decision, and warned of its possible use as a pretext to justify military aggression against the island. He also noted that the energy blockade and the tightening of the embargo have serious humanitarian consequences for the Cuban population.
The head of Cuban diplomacy reiterated that Cuba does not pose a threat to the United States and reaffirmed the country’s willingness to engage in bilateral dialogue on issues of common interest, always based on respect for sovereignty and non-interference. Finally, he called on the international community, Latin America and the Caribbean, the Global South, the UN Security Council, and the UN General Assembly to act to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe or military aggression against Cuba.

Remarks by Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla during the Security Council’s open debate on “Upholding the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and strengthening the UN-centered international system,” New York, May 26, 2026.
Mr. President, distinguished Permanent Representatives:
We highly value the leadership of the People’s Republic of China in the defense of international peace and security, the observance of international law; the preservation, strengthening, and appropriate reform of the United Nations, in particular the democratization, transparency, and effectiveness of the Security Council and the empowerment of the General Assembly; as well as in the construction of a multilateral international order based on sovereign equality, justice, and democracy.
Proof of this lies in the global initiatives promoted by President Xi Jinping—which we support—to address current challenges through genuine multilateral cooperation. The convening of this open debate also demonstrates this.
On September 26, 1960, at the UN General Assembly, Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro Ruz stated: “Let the philosophy of plunder disappear, and the philosophy of war will have disappeared!” We vividly recall this in the year of his centennial.

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Cuban Economy, Cuban Prime Minister

These transformations do not constitute a deviation from the socialist project

Marrero Cruz: “These transformations do not constitute a deviation from the socialist project; on the contrary, they respond to the inherent logic of its development”

Statement by Manuel Marrero Cruz, Prime Minister of the Republic of Cuba, at the Third Extraordinary Session of the National Assembly of People’s Power in its 10th Legislature

Author:  | internet@granma.cu

(Shorthand Versions – Republic of Cuba)

Photo: José Manuel Correa

Comrade Army General Raúl Castro Ruz, leader of the Cuban Revolution;

Miguel Mario Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and President of the Republic;

Comrade Esteban Lazo Hernández, President of the National Assembly of People’s Power and of the Council of State;

Commander of the Rebel Army, José Ramón Machado Ventura;

Dear Deputies;

Fellow Cubans:

As we all know, our country is facing one of its most complex moments since the Special Period. A combination of unprecedented U.S. coercive measures against Cuba has been implemented, even leading to the interruption of fuel supplies and all sources of foreign currency revenue. This has logically had a significant impact on the deterioration and instability of the energy infrastructure and, consequently, on the quality of life of millions of Cubans.

We have never denied our own errors and shortcomings; however, this set of factors has consistently influenced the effective implementation of the transformations to our Economic and Social Model, approved at the 6th Party Congress in 2011. These transformations yielded positive results until mid-2019, when the U.S. government substantially intensified its sanctions policy, which was further reinforced in early January 2025.

In this context, the Party and the Government, in the legitimate exercise of their sovereign power, have been promoting measures to reactivate the economy and correct distortions, a process that has been strengthened by the approval of the Government’s Economic and Social Program, validated by our people through popular consultation.

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