{"id":948,"date":"2026-05-22T10:41:30","date_gmt":"2026-05-22T10:41:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/arabnewsmonitor.com\/2026\/05\/22\/how-has-latin-america-responded-to-the-us-crackdown-on-cuba\/"},"modified":"2026-05-22T10:41:30","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T10:41:30","slug":"how-has-latin-america-responded-to-the-us-crackdown-on-cuba","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.arabnewsmonitor.com\/?p=948","title":{"rendered":"How has Latin America responded to the US crackdown on Cuba?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Most regional leaders have voiced solidarity with the island, while some fear they could be next in Washington\u2019s crosshairs<\/strong><\/p>\n

Fears of a US military operation against Cuba \u2013 or an outright invasion \u2013 have escalated after Washington indicted former Cuban leader Raul Castro, as the US continues to choke the island with an economic blockade.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s going on around Cuba?<\/h2>\n

On Wednesday, the Justice Department accused the 94-year-old Castro of ordering the 1996 shootdown of two American planes off Cuba\u2019s coast, which killed four anti-Communist activists.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants who has never concealed his aspirations for regime change, released a Spanish-language address to the island\u2019s residents, advocating for a \u201cnew Cuba.\u201d<\/em> US President Donald Trump has echoed the sentiment, calling Cuba a \u201cfailed nation\u201d<\/em> and suggesting Washington could \u201ctake [it] over.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\n Read more<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\n \"Raul
Raul Castro indicted: What\u2019s next for Cuba?<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The pressure campaign \u2013 which also involved the redeployment of the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier to the Caribbean \u2013 has sent ripples across Latin America. Many former colonies are watching the tensions with growing suspicion and alarm, fearing that they could be next in Washington\u2019s crosshairs.
<\/strong><\/p>\n

How is Cuba responding?<\/h2>\n

Cuba has pushed back hard against the US pressure. President Miguel\u00a0Diaz-Canel condemned the Castro indictment as a political ploy meant to \u201cjustify the folly of a military aggression against Cuba,\u201d<\/em> and accused Washington of manipulating the history of the 1996 shootdown.<\/p>\n

\n Read more<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\n \"FILE
\u2018We\u2019re not afraid of war\u2019 \u2013 Cuban president to RT (VIDEO)<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez said that the US was concocting a \u201cfraudulent case\u201d<\/em> to justify military action, adding that Cuba is prepared to defend itself.<\/p>\n

Who stands with Cuba and who doesn\u2019t?<\/p>\n

Brazil<\/h2>\n

Brazil has been one of the region\u2019s most active voices in support of Cuba. In March, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva warned that Latin America faces the threat of a return to colonial rule.
<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not possible for someone to think that they own other countries. What are they doing with Cuba now? What did they do with Venezuela? Is that democratic?\u201d<\/em> he said, without directly naming Trump.<\/p>\n

\n Read more<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\n \"FILE
US wants \u2018to colonize us again\u2019 \u2013 Lula to Latin American leaders<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/blockquote>\n

In late April, Brazil was one of the countries that pledged to ramp up humanitarian aid to Cuba while calling for dialogue and stressing that the Cuban people must be free to determine their own future.<\/p>\n

However, after meeting Trump in early May, Lula told reporters he believed the US was not planning to invade Cuba, and that Havana wants dialogue with Washington to end the oil embargo, which has led to unprecedented blackouts across the island.
<\/strong><\/p>\n

Venezuela<\/h2>\n

Venezuela, traditionally one of Cuba\u2019s staunchest partners and oil suppliers, responded with caution, mindful that in January Trump ordered an operation to kidnap President Nicolas Maduro.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n Read more<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\n \"Smoke
80 people killed in US raid on Venezuela \u2013 NYT<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Acting President Delcy Rodriguez has remained conspicuously silent on Cuba, with no signs of Caracas resuming desperately-needed oil shipments.<\/p>\n

Still, the ALBA alliance \u2013 which groups Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua, and others \u2013 expressed \u201cdeep concern and firm rejection\u201d<\/em> of US threats to use force against Cuba, warning of growing tensions that jeopardize peace and stability across the region.
<\/strong><\/p>\n

Mexico<\/h2>\n

Mexico \u2013 another close partner of Cuba \u2013 has been forced to walk a tightrope in the face of potential US retaliation. President Claudia Sheinbaum has pledged to continue providing humanitarian aid to Cuba, calling the US sanctions \u201cunfair to the Cuban people\u201d<\/em> while describing Trump\u2019s blockade \u201cunjust\u201d<\/em> and insisting that her country had \u201cevery right to send fuel, whether for humanitarian or commercial reasons.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\n Read more<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\n \"RT\"
Mexican humanitarian cargo reaches Cuba amid energy crunch<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The rhetoric, however, has not matched the policy, as Mexico has supplied Cuba with oil since January. While Sheinbaum insisted that the decision was a \u201csovereign\u201d<\/em> one, it came on the heels of Washington\u2019s threat to slap tariffs on the country.
Despite this, Mexico still joined the chorus calling for Cuban sovereignty to be respected.
<\/strong><\/p>\n

Colombia<\/h2>\n

Colombian President Gustavo Petro clearly denounced the US policy, stressing that \u201ca military aggression against Cuba\u2026 is a military aggression against Latin America.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Former President Ernesto Samper Pizano issued a similar warning, saying that \u201cif the United States gets involved in bullying Cuba, it will be mistreating all of Latin America. It\u2019s time to stop the hegemonic excesses of Trumpism in the world.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Nicaragua<\/h2>\n

Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, himself under US sanctions targeting his sons and senior officials, has delivered some of the sharpest pushbacks. In late April, he labelled Trump \u201cmentally deranged,\u201d<\/em> accusing Washington of planning to \u201cdismantle\u201d<\/em> Cuba while recalling Washington\u2019s operation to kidnap Maduro.
<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cThe one in charge in the United States doesn\u2019t care about what international organizations say, or even about US laws, or the role of his country\u2019s Congress and Senate,\u201d<\/em> he said.
<\/strong><\/p>\n

Argentina<\/h2>\n

Argentinian President Javier Milei \u2013 who is arguably Trump\u2019s most ardent backer among Latin American leaders \u2013 expressed hope earlier this month that Cuba and Venezuela would soon achieve the \u201cAmerican Dream.\u201d<\/em>
<\/em><\/p>\n

\n Read more<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\n \"RT\"
The CIA, wishful thinking, and imperial blindness: How the US engineered its own failure in Cuba<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u201cWe hope this soon reaches our beloved Cuba and Venezuela, who have suffered so much, and that the model of freedom reaches the last refuge of the continent,\u201d<\/em> he said.<\/p>\n

Milei\u2019s government has embraced a hard line towards Cuba, refusing to appoint an ambassador to Havana, with the president praising the US abduction of Maduro \u2013 whom he labeled \u201ca terrorist and a drug-trafficker.\u201d<\/em>
<\/strong><\/p>\n

The bottom line<\/h2>\n

Latin America\u2019s response to the US crackdown on Cuba has mostly been a message of solidarity though short on practical measures that risk Washington\u2019s wrath, including economic and political sanctions.<\/p>\n

Still, some of the region\u2019s leaders have made it abundantly clear: they view US pressure not as an attack on Cuba \u2013 but an attack on the whole of Latin America.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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