The European Union took the opportunity this Tuesday during the debate convened by Cuba at the United Nations General Assembly on the U.S. embargo to deliver an unusually strong message to the regime of Miguel Díaz-Canel: in addition to calling for an end to Washington's sanctions, it demanded that Havana stop supporting the Russian invasion of Ukraine and undertake political and economic reforms to address the crisis facing the island.
The statement was delivered by Stavros Lambrinidis, head of the EU delegation to the UN, on behalf of the 27 member states and several associated countries, including Montenegro, Albania, Moldova, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Norway, Andorra, San Marino, and the United Kingdom.
"While we reaffirm the importance of respecting international law in all contexts, we deeply regret that Cuba's stance regarding Russia's illegal aggression against Ukraine has not been consistent with the principles of the United Nations Charter," the diplomat stated.
Criticism for support of Moscow
Lambrinidis recalled that Cuba voted on February 24, 2026, against a UN resolution calling for a ceasefire and lasting peace in Ukraine, aligning itself with Russia, Iran, Belarus, and Nicaragua.
The European Union also urged the Cuban regime to "refrain from providing any kind of support to Russian aggression" and to prevent Cuban citizens from continuing to join the Russian military forces.
According to various estimates cited by Western governments and human rights organizations, between 1,000 and 20,000 Cubans have fought or are fighting on the Russian side, with at least 54 identified fatalities.
"The crisis is not solely due to the embargo."
Although the EU reiterated its longstanding rejection of the U.S. embargo and warned that the sanctions, especially the extraterritorial provisions of the Helms-Burton Act, lead to humanitarian consequences and affect European economic interests, it made it clear that this is not the only cause of the deterioration currently experienced by Cuba.
"The serious situation of the Cuban people is not solely due to the embargo. Significant political and economic reforms are urgently needed from the Cuban authorities," Lambrinidis emphasized.
The European representative described an island marked by daily blackouts, food and medicine shortages, hospitals on the brink of collapse, and difficulties accessing transportation and fuel.
"Humanitarian aid alone will not resolve the crisis in Cuba. Important sovereign decisions can no longer be postponed," he stated.
Human rights and political prisoners
The statement also called for concrete advancements in human rights.
The European Union called for the release of all political prisoners, respect for fundamental freedoms, and greater openness to dialogue with civil society.
The statement comes weeks after the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Kaja Kallas, acknowledged that the Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement with Cuba has not delivered the expected results after nearly a decade of implementation.
This shift was also reflected on June 18, when the European Parliament approved a resolution requesting individual sanctions against Miguel Díaz-Canel under the European sanctions regime for human rights violations and proposed suspending the cooperation agreement with Havana.
The European intervention took place during the extraordinary session requested by the Cuban regime itself to discuss the U.S. embargo, an exceptional mechanism used for the first time by Havana.
The General Assembly approved the debate with 136 votes in favor, nine against, and 30 abstentions, a significantly lower support compared to the 165 votes received by Cuba in the annual vote held in October 2025.
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