Fidel Antonio Castro Smirnov, grandson of the founder of the Cuban dictatorship, declared in Moscow that Cuba "will continue to resist" against the sanctions imposed by the Trump administration, in exclusive statements to the Russian media Sputnik during the Sovintern forum.
Castro Smirnov participated in the first Forum of the International Socialist Network Sovintern, held in the Russian capital from April 25 to 27, where he took the opportunity to thank Russia for its energy assistance and denounce the pressures from Washington on the countries supplying oil to the island.
"The Trump administration and Marco Rubio have threatened the entire world with sanctions if they sell us oil. What justification is there for this collective punishment?" questioned the academic, who is a full professor at the University of Havana and a member of the Academy of Sciences of Cuba.
In his speech, Castro Smirnov described the seriousness of the energy crisis facing the island: "We really need fuel now for the economy to function, not only for power generation but also for hospitals, to move ambulances, for schools to operate, for universities to function, and for our research centers to run."
The electricity generation deficit in Cuba exceeded 1,400 MW this past Monday, with blackouts lasting up to 24 hours in provinces such as Holguín, Granma, and Santiago de Cuba.
The crisis intensified following the signing of Executive Order 14380 by Trump on January 29, which declared the Cuban regime a "unique and extraordinary threat" and imposed tariffs on countries that sell oil to Cuba.
Before that measure, Cuba was already facing a critical situation with its fuel reserves, worsened by the halt in Venezuelan supplies—between 26,000 and 35,000 barrels daily—following the arrest of Nicolás Maduro in January, and the suspension of shipments from Mexico that same month.
Cuba produces only 40,000 barrels per day against a demand of between 90,000 and 110,000, a gap that Russia has tried to partially fill with two shipments: one of 730,000 barrels of crude oil that arrived on March 31 and a second vessel with 251,000 barrels of diesel expected on April 29.
However, the island needs eight fuel ships per month and between January and April, it only received one from Russia, highlighting that Moscow's assistance, while welcomed by the regime, is insufficient to resolve the emergency.
Castro Smirnov described his presence in Moscow as a mission to "strengthen scientific ties between our peoples" and invoked his grandfather's legacy: "From him, we also learned that in the toughest times, we must seek solutions in science."
In February, Castro Smirnov himself admitted in London that the danger had never been this close for Cuba, in statements that reflected the severity of the crisis.
While Fidel's grandson expresses gratitude to Moscow at a leftist parties forum, Marco Rubio has made it clear that any relief from sanctions requires a complete change in the Cuban government system, a condition that the regime flatly rejects, leading to expectations that the island's energy crisis will continue without a solution in sight.
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