US blockade threatens ‘humanitarian collapse’ in Cuba – UN chief

Secretary General Antonio Guterres has called the situation on the island “extremely concerning”

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has warned that the US-imposed energy blockade could cause a humanitarian collapse in Cuba.

Cuban authorities have been preparing to roll out rationing plans to address worsening fuel shortages after US President Donald Trump threatened to impose tariffs on goods from countries shipping oil to the island. Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said the blockade has caused blackouts and disrupted schools, hospitals, and public transportation.

At a briefing on Thursday, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Guterres was “extremely concerned about the humanitarian situation in Cuba, which will worsen, if not collapse, if its oil needs go unmet.”

According to Dujarric, Guterres noted that the UN General Assembly “has consistently called for an end to the embargo imposed by the United States on Cuba.”

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The US has maintained a trade embargo against Cuba since 1960. In December 2025, the US Navy and Coast Guard began seizing tankers in the Caribbean for allegedly violating sanctions. Trump accused Cuba of supporting terrorist groups and described Havana’s ties with Russia, China, and Iran as a threat to US national security.

On Thursday, the US announced it would deliver an additional $6 million in aid to Cuba, largely for the island’s eastern regions hit last year by Hurricane Melissa. Jeremy Lewin, a senior State Department official responsible for humanitarian assistance, accused the Cuban government of hoarding resources and denied that food shortages were linked to the ban on oil shipments.

In an address on Thursday, Diaz-Canel rejected claims that Cuba supported terrorism or posed a threat to the US. He said the government was ready for dialogue with Washington, but only on the basis of equality and respect for Cuba’s sovereignty.