The announcement by Donald Trump that his next diplomatic priority will be to end the war in Ukraine sparked a flurry of comments on social media, featuring Cubans who, with bitter humor and accumulated frustration, summed up the situation in one phrase: "Another one from the line slipped in."
The reaction erupted this Monday after it became known that Trump, at the G7 summit in Évian-les-Bains, France, stated alongside President Emmanuel Macron: "Now that this is over, let's focus on that matter to see if we can resolve it."
Trump was referring to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, just hours after announcing a memorandum of understanding with Iran.
The problem for Cubans is that Trump had established an explicit and public geopolitical sequence: Venezuela, then Iran, then Cuba.
On June 4th, from the Oval Office, Trump was emphatic: "I like to do one thing at a time. We will deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran, and once that is resolved, we’ll make a brief stop on our way back. We will take care of that."
Earlier, on March 27, at the FII Priority Summit in Miami Beach, he had been even more straightforward: “Cuba is next, by the way, but pretend I didn’t say that”.
Now, with Ukraine occupying the center of the agenda and the formal signing of the treaty with Iran scheduled for Friday, June 19, in Geneva, Cuba once again finds itself in the waiting room.
The comments on Facebook posts transformed the metaphor of "the line" —so deeply rooted in Cuban culture— into the perfect vehicle for expressing frustration.
"Ukraine arrived after Cuba... the line must be respected," "Who is selling the spots?" "Not a single more foray."
The phrase "Ukraine is plan jaba" —referring to the plan that provided purchasing assistance to working women in the supply queues on the island— humorously encapsulated the feeling that Ukraine managed to jump ahead in the priority line in Washington.
Alongside the humor, the exhaustion of those experiencing the crisis firsthand surfaced: "We've been without electricity for days and there's no food," "The people can't take it anymore," "We're worse off than if we were at war," "I've already lost hope."
A third stream of comments pointed towards self-criticism: "No one is going to come to solve our problems," "Change has to come from the Cubans themselves," "Cuba belongs to the Cubans, and the problems of Cuba must be resolved by the Cubans."
While Trump and Zelenski met this Tuesday at the G7 to coordinate positions on Ukraine, Cubans on social media wrapped up the debate with a question that has remained unanswered for months: "So when is it Cuba's turn, brother?"
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