The Brazilian president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, defended the Cuban regime this Saturday in Barcelona, where he called on the five permanent members of the UN Security Council to "meet to change their behavior" and demanded an end to the U.S. embargo against the island.
"Cuba has problems, but they are the problems of the Cuban people. It is not a problem for Lula, for Claudia, or for Trump; it is a problem for the Cuban people. End this damn blockade against Cuba and let the Cuban people live," stated the leader during the IV Summit in Defense of Democracy.
The event, organized under the umbrella of the Global Progressive Mobilisation (GPM) and driven by the socialist government of Spanish President Pedro Sánchez, brought together over a hundred progressive leaders from around the globe.
"Stop this damn blockade against Cuba and let Cubans live their lives. We cannot remain silent," reiterated the Brazilian president to those in attendance.
Lula accused the permanent members of the Security Council of acting as "warlords" rather than guarantors of peace, and directly criticized President Donald Trump.
"We cannot wake up every morning and go to sleep at night always with a president's tweet threatening the world, declaring wars," he emphasized.
The leader also stated that "no president, from any country in the world, has the right to impose rules on other presidents. None," in a direct reference to the pressures from Washington on Havana.
At the same summit, the president of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, proposed a formal declaration against military intervention in Cuba: "I want to propose a declaration against military intervention in Cuba. May dialogue and peace prevail," she said.
Sheinbaum recalled that Mexico "raised its voice against the blockade on Cuba in 1962 when others remained silent" and defended that "no people is small, but great and stoic when defending its sovereignty and the right to a full life."
At the event, Colombian President Gustavo Petro also participated, who described the U.S. embargo against Cuba as genocide, along with Uruguayan President Yamandú Orsi, among other leaders from the region.
The statements come in a context of escalating pressure from the Trump administration on Cuba. On January 29, Trump signed Executive Order 14380, declaring the Cuban government an "unusual and extraordinary threat" and imposing tariffs of up to 50% on countries that supply oil to the island.
The measure triggered a severe energy crisis: Cuba did not receive oil shipments for more than three months, with blackouts lasting up to 25 hours daily and at least three total collapses of the national electrical system.
This is compounded by Trump's own statements regarding a potential military intervention. On March 16, he stated, "I believe I will have the honor of taking Cuba," and last Tuesday hinted at a "stop in Cuba" after the conflict with Iran. The Pentagon, as revealed by USA Today, accelerated the planning of possible military operations on the island by directive of the White House.
The defenses of Lula for the Cuban regime have generated criticism from sectors that point out that the Brazilian leader ignores the existence of over 1,250 political prisoners in Cuba and decades of human rights violations documented by international organizations.
Sheinbaum was appointed as the host of the upcoming Summit in Defense of Democracy in 2027, with a planned focus on "well-being-centered economy and a democracy that meets the true needs of the people."
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