The Executive Order of May 1 and the blockade measures announced exacerbate the suffering of the Cuban people and reinforce the threat of aggression

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 by the U.S. Department of the Treasury on May 7, 2026, which added the Cuban entities Gaesa and MoaNickel S.A. to the Specially Designated Nationals List, this being the first coercive measure resulting from the order signed on May 1.

This constitutes an act of ruthless economic aggression that multiplies the extraterritorial effects of the blockade, with the potential application of secondary sanctions against foreign companies, banks, and entities, even if their business operations in the United States have no connection to Cuba. The measure will further hinder the functioning of the national economy, which has already been facing, since January 29, 2026, the disastrous effects of the oil blockade imposed on that date, which paralyzed fuel exports to the country.

Acting as a global policeman and in flagrant violation of international law and the basic rules of free trade in goods and services, it explicitly and brazenly attacks

Acting as the world’s policeman and in flagrant violation of international law and the basic rules 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 to extend the genocide against the Cuban people, in an attempt to force Cuba’s isolation from the international economic and financial arena.

We warn that this aggression against the Cuban economy and people would only achieve its intended destructive effect if sovereign and independent nations allow themselves to be intimidated by the U.S. government. We know that the world will never meekly accept illegal norms, will not renounce sovereign equality, nor will it leave its citizens, businesspeople, corporations, and financial institutions unprotected. The international community has historically opposed and condemned the genocide being committed against the people of Cuba by the United States government, which has lasted nearly seven decades.

We denounce the criminal nature of these aggressive measures aimed at forcing the entire Cuban population to surrender through hunger and desperation and at attempting to create a social, economic, and political catastrophe on a national scale. We also reject the U.S. government’s intention to create a humanitarian crisis in order 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 U.S. quest to exercise domination and control Cuba’s destiny, thereby violating the independence and sovereignty of all states.