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The governments of Spain, Brazil, and Mexico issued a joint statement this Saturday in which they expressed their deep concern for the serious humanitarian crisis affecting Cuba; however, they called for respect for its "territorial integrity, sovereign equality, and peaceful resolution of disputes" without intervention.
The text, which cites the principles enshrined in the United Nations Charter, was signed during the IV Summit in Defense of Democracy held in Barcelona, where the Spanish president Pedro Sánchez acted as host and received the Brazilian leader Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, while the Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum participated through a recorded message.
In the statement, the three countries called for a "sincere, respectful dialogue in accordance with International Law" to find a lasting solution to the situation on the island, without the intervention of the United States.
Furthermore, they committed to "coordinately increasing" their humanitarian response "aimed at alleviating the suffering of the Cuban people" and urged the adoption of "necessary measures to ease that situation," calling for the avoidance of "actions that would worsen the living conditions of the population."
The three governments reaffirmed their "unwavering commitment to human rights, democratic values, and multilateralism," emphasizing that the goal of the requested dialogue is "to find a lasting solution to the current situation."
The statement includes a phrase that summarizes the position of the three countries: "Let the Cuban people decide their future in full freedom."
The text is produced at a time of escalating U.S. pressure on the island.
Since January 2026, the Trump administration cut off the supply of Venezuelan oil to Cuba following the capture of Nicolás Maduro, eliminating between 26,000 and 35,000 barrels per day that covered 80-90% of Cuba's energy needs.
On January 29, Trump signed Executive Order 14380, which designates Cuba as an "unusual threat to national security" and imposes tariffs of up to 50% on countries supplying oil to the Cuban government, which also halted shipments from Mexico.
The resulting energy crisis has caused power outages of 64%, transportation paralysis, school closures, and a collapse in essential services such as health, water, and food.
The trilateral statement arrives in a context of increasing military rhetoric from Washington. On April 15, the newspaper USA Today revealed that the Pentagon had received a directive from the White House to expedite the planning of military operations in Cuba.
In response to those reports, Trump said yesterday a phrase that did not clear up the doubts: "It depends on what you understand by military action."
Analysts point out that the language regarding "territorial integrity" used in the statement directly aims to prevent any U.S. military intervention, although the text does not demand concrete political reforms from the Cuban regime nor does it mention the repression faced by the Cuban people under the dictatorship of Miguel Díaz-Canel.
The UN launched an emergency plan of 94.1 million dollars for fuel in critical services in Cuba, but by March 2026 it had secured only 26 million.
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