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The Guardian World1 min read
Cuba says Trump’s fresh sanctions on its economy amount to ‘collective punishment’
TL;DR
Cuba's government condemned new sanctions from Donald Trump as 'collective punishment' against its people. The sanctions target various sectors of the Cuban economy amid increased pressure following the ousting of Venezuela's Nicolás Maduro.
Key points
- Cuba calls new U.S. sanctions 'collective punishment'
- Sanctions target broad sections of the Cuban economy
- Trump aims to increase pressure on Cuba after Maduro's ousting
- Bruno Rodriguez rejects unilateral measures from the U.S.
- Trump hints at possible military operations against Cuba
Mentioned in this story
CubaDonald TrumpBruno RodriguezNicolás Maduro
Cuba’s government has said new sanctions imposed on the island by Donald Trump amounted to “collective punishment”, as an enormous 1 May procession outside the American embassy in Havana vowed to “defend the homeland”.
In an executive order on Friday, the US president said he would impose sanctions on people involved in broad sections of the Cuban economy, as he seeks to put more pressure on Havana after ousting Venezuela’s leader, Nicolás Maduro, earlier this year.
The latest sanctions constituted “collective punishment” of the nation’s people, said Cuba’s foreign minister, Bruno Rodriguez. “We firmly reject the recent unilateral coercive measures adopted by the #UnitedStates government,” he posted on X in English.
Trump has mused about taking over Cuba, which lies 145km from Florida and has been under a nearly continuous US trade embargo since Fidel Castro led a communist revolution in 1959.
On Friday, Trump used a speech in Florida to again suggest the US could launch operations against Cuba.
“On the way back from Iran, we’ll have one of our big – maybe the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier, the biggest in the world, we’ll have that come in, stop about 100 yards offshore and they’ll say, ‘Thank you very much. We give up.’”
The economic situation has worsened for Cuba since Washington imposed a fuel blockade in January, with only one Russian oil tanker making it through since then. Supply shortages and power cuts have become the norm, and tourism – once Cuba’s most lucrative industry – has plummeted.
Former Cuban president Raúl Castro (centre left) and current president Miguel Diaz-Canel (centre right) attend the International Labor Day commemoration in Havana. Photograph: Ernesto Mastrascusa/EPA
Q&A
What are the new sanctions imposed by Donald Trump on Cuba?
The new sanctions target individuals involved in broad sections of the Cuban economy as part of an effort to increase pressure on the Cuban government.
How did Cuba's government respond to Trump's sanctions?
Cuba's government, through Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez, labeled the sanctions as 'collective punishment' and rejected the unilateral measures taken by the U.S.
What did Trump say about potential military operations against Cuba?
In a speech in Florida, Trump suggested that the U.S. could consider launching operations against Cuba.
What is the historical context of U.S. sanctions on Cuba?
Cuba has been under a nearly continuous U.S. trade embargo since Fidel Castro's communist revolution in 1959, which has shaped the ongoing tensions between the two nations.
