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The White House defended its sanctions against Cuba on Wednesday and issued a direct warning to Havana: Cuban leaders must negotiate with Washington before it is too late, according to a statement from a spokesperson for the Trump administration to Reuters.
The message came in response to a warning from the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, who the day before demanded the immediate lifting of the measures, alerting that they were causing "widespread harm" to the Cuban population and putting lives at risk.
The White House spokesperson was emphatic: "These sanctions are aimed at the leaders and organizations that perpetuate the regime's harmful efforts to undermine and destabilize U.S. national security."
Citing previous statements from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the official emphasized that Washington is prepared to start a new phase in relations with Havana and revealed what the only obstacle is.
"The only thing standing in the way," the official said, "is the current leadership of Cuba. The country's leaders should reach an agreement with the United States before it is too late," he emphasized.
Türk, for his part, emphasized to the international community that the fuel restrictions imposed by the U.S. earlier this year are responsible for the health crisis on the Island.
The senior UN official also warned that food production in Cuba has dropped by 60%, blackouts frequently exceed 20 hours a day, and the fear of secondary sanctions has blocked more than 2,900 metric tons of humanitarian food aid.
"Cuba is facing increasing isolation. Companies are leaving. Fewer airlines are flying to the country. It is almost disconnected from international payment systems," he noted.
The escalation of U.S. pressure on Cuba began on January 29, 2026, when Trump declared a national emergency and authorized tariffs on countries that supply oil to the Island.
On May 1, he signed Executive Order 14404, which expanded secondary sanctions on foreign companies and financial entities operating in key Cuban sectors.
On May 7, GAESA and its president, General Ania Guillermina Lastres Morera, were sanctioned, and on June 4, the measures directly affected President Miguel Díaz-Canel, his wife Lis Cuesta, and Alejandro Castro Espín.
In total, since January 2026, the Trump administration has imposed more than 240 sanctions against the Cuban regime, in addition to intercepting at least seven tankers in international waters, which reduced the island's fuel imports by between 80% and 90%.
In parallel to the pressure, Washington has maintained signs of openness.
On June 4, Rubio acknowledged before Congress that there are "technocrats" within the Cuban apparatus with whom Washington could work for a transition, and stated that the U.S. "is open to a negotiated solution that puts Cuba on a path toward democracy, prosperity, freedom, and normalcy."
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez did not respond immediately to international media, but he posted on social media that the U.S. "energy blockade" severely affects the Cuban people and complicates the work of international organizations.
Rubio also reported that, despite having offered 100 million dollars in humanitarian aid for Cuba, the regime has created obstacles to channel it through the Catholic Church or Samaritan's Purse: “Now they say they have accepted it, but they are creating impediments.”
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