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The Undersecretary of State Christopher Landau urged Canada to support the Cuban people during a meeting with Canadian Deputy Foreign Minister Arun Thangaraj, in which he described the government of Havana as "the corrupt communist dictatorship that has held absolute power in Cuba for the past 67 years."
The official statement from the U.S. Department of State, attributed to spokesperson Tommy Pigott, noted that the meeting addressed bilateral and regional issues, including coordinated efforts to prevent Ebola from reaching North America and the recognition of Canada's support for the Gang Suppression Force in Haiti.
The statement about Cuba was the most forceful in the communiqué and is part of the Trump administration's notably tough foreign policy towards Havana.
Landau is not new to this type of statements. In January 2026, he had already claimed that the "Castro-communist regime is faltering" and that "the time for the change that people on the island aspire to has come."
Just three days before this meeting, last Sunday, Landau responded to a statement from the Cuban embassy in Mexico that supported Raúl Castro, criticizing the endorsement of a “blatantly dictatorial regime that has not allowed a free election in 67 years”.
The meeting with Canada is particularly significant because Ottawa has maintained diplomatic relations with Cuba uninterruptedly since 1945 and has historically been more moderate than Washington in its stance toward Havana.
However, internal pressure in Canada to toughen that stance has increased in 2026. In March, the Cuban-Canadian Coalition called on the Canadian government to review its policy towards Cuba, close the Cuban embassy in Ottawa, and reduce diplomatic presence in Havana.
Landau's call comes in the context of an unprecedented sanctions offensive by the Trump administration. Since January 2026, Washington has imposed over 240 sanctions against Cuba.
On May 1, Trump signed a new executive order that expands sanctions to adult family members of designated officials and foreign banks that facilitate transactions with the regime.
On May 7, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced new designations against GAESA — the Cuban military business conglomerate — and set June 5 as the deadline for foreign companies to sever ties with this entity under the threat of secondary sanctions.
Rubio was emphatic in justifying that measure: “Sanctions will continue until the Cuban regime implements political and economic reforms”.
The deadline set by Rubio for foreign companies to sever ties with GAESA expires on June 5, making the coming weeks a critical period for economic pressure on the regime.
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