Miguel Díaz-Canel sent a video message to the XXX International Seminar "Parties and a New Society", organized by the Labor Party of Mexico.
In his speech, the Cuban leader described U.S. policy against Cuba as "criminal, fascist, and hostile," arguing that the sanctions imposed by the Trump administration are a violation of the human rights of the Cuban people, but also a warning of what that country could do to other nations in the region.
"The blockade is indeed a real and permanent threat to the existence and well-being of Cubans and to the exercise of their human rights. It is a threat to peace, stability, and security in the region. It is a threat to any sovereign state that could find itself subject to similar aggressive and extraterritorial measures in the future," he said.
Díaz-Canel focused a good part of his speech on denouncing two executive orders signed by the Trump administration in 2026. The first, dated January 29, declared Cuba an "unusual and extraordinary threat" to the national security of the United States. The second, dated May 1, enabled secondary extraterritorial sanctions that impact foreign companies in strategic sectors of the Cuban economy.
"The current government of the United States finds that an economic, trade, and financial blockade imposed for over 60 years, along with the implementation of hundreds of unilateral and extraterritorial coercive measures, is not enough," stated the leader.
One of the most specific passages of the speech was his reference to the energy situation on the island.
"The measures to intensify the energy blockade have become extraterritorial, and despite numerous efforts, it has been nine months since a fuel ship has entered our ports," he stated.
Díaz-Canel described the consequences of this situation with these words: "This situation has increased power outages, severely impacted the normal functioning of hospitals and all institutions within the healthcare system, in addition to affecting water supply, transportation, and the preparation and preservation of food."
As a counterbalance to the crisis, the leader highlighted the advancements in solar energy: “Cuba already generates 21.4% of its electricity from renewable energy sources,” with 1,418 MW installed in 144 photovoltaic parks and a goal of exceeding 1,500 MW before the year ends.
Context: an unprecedented electrical crisis
However, Cuba has also faced at least eight total collapses of the National Electric System so far in 2026, with power outages lasting up to twenty hours a day in some provinces and a generation deficit exceeding 2,000 MW.
The 176 economic measures of the regime do not yield visible results. Inflation in the country is rising, and many families cannot put a meal on the table every day.
Political repression forces many Cubans to leave the island to avoid imprisonment for their dissenting views. The European Parliament approved a resolution in June calling for individual sanctions against Díaz-Canel and the release of over 1,300 political prisoners that human rights organizations count in Cuba.
The leader closed his message with a quote from Fidel Castro —in the year marking the centenary of his birth— and the call "Homeland or death."
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