Cuba has strongly criticized fresh sanctions imposed by United States President Donald Trump, describing the measures as “collective punishment” against its population.
The announcement came as large-scale May 1 celebrations unfolded across the island, including a major procession outside the US embassy in Havana where participants pledged to “defend the homeland.”
The diplomatic tension escalated further after Trump suggested in remarks delivered in Florida that the United States would be “taking over” Cuba “almost immediately.” His administration also issued an executive order targeting individuals linked to key sectors of the Cuban economy, including energy, defence, mining, finance, and security, as well as officials accused of human rights violations or corruption.
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez condemned the measures, stating on X in English: “We firmly reject the recent unilateral coercive measures adopted by the #UnitedStates government.”
He added that these actions demonstrate an intention to impose, once again, collective punishment on the Cuban people. In a separate Spanish-language statement, he described the sanctions as “illegal” and “abusive.”
According to the US executive order, the sanctions are aimed at people operating within or connected to major segments of Cuba’s state-managed economy. Washington has long demanded economic liberalisation, compensation for expropriated property dating back to the Fidel Castro era, and what it calls “free and fair” elections. Havana, however, maintains that its socialist system is not open to negotiation.
The latest restrictions arrive at a time when Cuba is already facing severe economic strain. A fuel blockade imposed by Washington in January has worsened shortages, with only one Russian oil shipment reportedly reaching the island since then. The crisis has deepened disruptions in electricity supply and intensified shortages of essential goods, while the tourism sector—once a key source of revenue—continues to decline sharply.
Despite recent diplomatic engagement, including talks involving senior US officials in April, tensions remain high. The new sanctions were announced during May Day events that saw thousands march in Havana under the slogan “Defend the Homeland,” led by President Miguel Diaz-Canel and former leader Raul Castro.
Ahead of the demonstrations, Diaz-Canel urged citizens to mobilise “against the genocidal blockade and the crude imperial threats to our country,” referencing US policy and rhetoric. During the rally, officials claimed that more than six million Cubans had signed a declaration “for the homeland and for peace” over the past six weeks, though critics have raised questions about how the signatures were collected.
State media also reported similar mass gatherings in several other Cuban cities as the country marked International Workers’ Day under heightened political tension.
