Statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs rejects, in the strongest terms, the Executive Order issued by the White House on May 1, 2026, which intensifies, to extreme and unprecedented levels, the economic, financial and commercial blockade against Cuba.
Likewise, it condemns the decision of the United States Treasury Department of May 7, 2026, which added the Cuban entities Gaesa and MoaNickel SA to the List of Specially Designated Nationals, this being the first coercive measure derived from the order signed on May 1.
This is a ruthless act of economic aggression that amplifies the extraterritorial effects of the blockade, with the potential application of secondary sanctions against foreign companies, banks, and entities, even if their business in the United States has no connection to Cuba. This measure will further hinder the functioning of the national economy, which has already been facing the devastating effects of the oil blockade imposed on January 29, 2026, paralyzing fuel exports to the country.
Acting as the world's policeman and in blatant violation of international law and the fundamental principles of free trade in goods and services, the sovereign right of all states that have or wish to maintain economic, commercial, and financial relations with Cuba is being explicitly, blatantly, and directly attacked. The highest U.S. authorities, particularly the Secretary of State, are attempting to force the international community, through blackmail and intimidation, to submit to and comply with the blockade.
No country is exempt from this threat of extending genocide against the Cuban people, attempting to force Cuba's isolation from the international economic and financial scene.
We warn that this aggression against the Cuban economy and people will only achieve its intended destructive effect if sovereign and independent nations allow themselves to be intimidated and coerced by the United States government. We know that the world will never meekly accept illegal regulations, will not relinquish sovereign equality, nor will it leave its citizens, businesses, corporations, and financial institutions unprotected. The international community has historically opposed and condemned the genocide being perpetrated against the Cuban people by the United States government, a genocide that has lasted for almost seven decades.
We denounce the criminal nature of these aggressive measures aimed at starving and desperationing the entire Cuban population and attempting to generate a social, economic, and political catastrophe on a national scale. We also reject the intention of the United States government to create a humanitarian crisis to justify more dangerous actions, including military aggression against Cuba.
In all international forums, Cuba will continue to denounce the blockade. Likewise, we urge the international community to confront this onslaught, which constitutes a dangerous escalation in the United States' desire to exercise domination and control over Cuba's destiny, violating the independence and sovereignty of all states.
Havana, May 7, 2026
(Cuba-MINREX)
(EmbaCuba-Polonia)