Oscar Pérez Oliva-Fraga, Vice Prime Minister of Cuba and Minister of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment, stated this Wednesday that the U.S. embargo is the main obstacle to the economic development of the island, in remarks shared by the official account of the Government of Cuba on X.
"The blockade is the main obstacle to the development of all the transformations that our country is implementing in the economic sphere, which include, among other things, a more active participation of foreign capital as well as the diversification and involvement of the private sector in our economy," the official stated in a narrative commonly used by the regime, which, to be honest, no one believes.
Pérez Oliva-Fraga went further, stating that the embargo "is more present than ever in the daily lives of Cubans," while listing its effects: "It prevents us from accessing capital, accessing markets, and accessing financing."
For him, as for the rest of the leadership, the blame always falls on the embargo, never on the failed economic management that has plunged the country into deep misery.
The official also noted that in recent years, the sanctions have directly targeted the country's energy supply: "They have been explicitly aimed at depriving our country of energy resources, and I am referring to fuel. There has been a persecution, and today our population is suffering directly and brutally from the effects of that blockade."
The speech contrasts with positions that Pérez Oliva-Fraga himself held just three months ago.
In February 2026, during an appearance on Mesa Redonda, the official acknowledged "internal deficiencies" as part of the problem and stated that the Government did not want to "justify itself with the blockade."
On that same occasion, he mentioned the interruption of oil shipments from Venezuela as an additional factor in the energy crisis.
The discursive shift occurs within the framework of an intensified official campaign.
The official narrative, however, clashes with recent data. According to a report published on Tuesday, the United States authorized fuel exports to Cuba totaling 8.7 million dollars in 2026, aimed at the Cuban private sector, which reportedly received nearly 30,000 barrels under specific licenses.
The energy crisis that Cuba is experiencing in 2026 includes prolonged blackouts, fuel shortages, water cuts, and impacts on hospitals and essential services.
The regime attributes the situation to the embargo, but the structural dependence on imported oil—primarily from Venezuela and Mexico—and the acknowledged internal deficiencies point to multiple causes that the dictatorship prefers to overlook.
Pérez Oliva-Fraga, 54 years old and the great-nephew of Fidel and Raúl Castro, has experienced a rapid rise within the nomenclature: he was appointed minister of MINCEX in May 2024, promoted to deputy prime minister in October 2025, and designated as a deputy to the National Assembly in the same year, a formal requirement for a potential presidential candidacy.
Several analysts point to him as a possible successor in the dynastic line of Cuban power.
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