Cuba's public and free healthcare system was long considered the best in the Global South, with the highest doctor-to-patient ratio in the world and a lower infant mortality rate than that of the United States. But U.S. sanctions — and now an oil blockade — have had a devastating impact on Cuba's clinics and hospitals.
This week, we look at what happens when the most powerful country wages economic war on a much smaller country, cutting off access to the fuel, equipment and medicines its doctors need to save lives.
Also:
With Rubio in Wonderland, Dems Denounce Blockade
Anti-Imperialist Bicycle Rally Takes Over Malecón
From Ireland to Havana
Niki Franco: “Cuba Represents Possibility”
Belly of the Beast Recommends
Cuba to Free More Than 2,000 Prisoners
Judge: Trump Illegally Targeted 900K Immigrants
Cuba on U.S. Talks: Everything But Sovereignty “On the Table”
Black Doctors Call Out Cuba Blockade’s Human Toll
OAS Rights Commission Ignores Elephant in the Room
Russian Oil Arrives, But Blockade Continues
The U.S. oil blockade on Cuba was broken this week when Russian tanker Anatoly Kolodkin reached the island Tuesday with more than 700,000 barrels of oil, the first shipment in three months to reach the island.
"We have a tanker out there. We don't mind having somebody get a boatload because they need...they have to survive," U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One.
Russia’s Energy Minister Sergei Tsivilyov said Thursday that Russia is preparing to send a second tanker.
While the blockade may have loosened, the U.S. government’s economic war on Cuba shows no sign of relenting.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Monday that the U.S. would handle Cuba fuel deliveries “on a case-by-case basis.” She also made it clear that the Russian tanker's arrival did not represent a “firm change in our sanctions policy.”
Politico reported that Cuba is being given a “a longer lifeline” because the Trump administration’s resources and attention are being consumed by the war against Iran. Politico's source was “a person familiar with the administration’s conversations on Cuba."
Boost Private Businesses, Starve the Public Sector
It will take weeks for Cuba to refine all the Russian oil.
Meanwhile, Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum said Monday that her country may renew oil exports to Cuba but suggested they could be limited to the private sector. Last year, Mexico sent more oil to Cuba than any other country. Deliveries abruptly ceased in January due to U.S. pressure.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration has been allowing fuel exports to private businesses — not to the state.
While Cuba’s growing private sector plays an increasingly important role in the economy, the public sector continues to provide the majority of essential services.
It is the public sector that mobilizes evacuations and provides shelter during hurricanes, runs mass transportation, collects garbage, carries out burials and operates mosquito-control campaigns. It subsidizes access to sports and cultural events, as well as housing, electricity, gas and food. It also develops and produces medications and vaccines — provided free or at highly subsidized prices — and maintains a system of universal, free public healthcare.
As the Trump administration seeks to bolster the private sector while it starves the Cuban government of resources, the results can be seen most devastatingly in the country’s hospitals.
Belly of the Beast’s Liz Oliva Fernández and Drop Site’s Ryan Grim recently visited the William Soler Pediatric Hospital in Havana where they spoke with the chief anesthesiologist, Alioth Fernández Valle, and the parents of some of his patients. Watch a video of their visit HERE.
Alioth Fernández and other doctors at William Soler spoke about how the nurses have to rush to hand-pump the ventilators when the power goes out and before the generator turns on.
“It's agonizing because you don't know when it's coming back,” said Fernández. “When you have multiple ventilated patients, it becomes even more desperate because…the staff sometimes can't keep up with the number of patients who need attention.”
Daily Triage
The power outages are just the latest crisis. Fernández and his colleagues have been contending with chronic shortages of medicine and medical equipment since Cuba emerged from Covid-19, when U.S. government “maximum pressure” sanctions began to bite.
These sanctions have locked Cuba out of most of the international banking system. They have made U.S. and European pharmaceutical and medical equipment companies take fright, so that often, even when Cuba has the money to pay for items sick children need, it’s almost impossible to buy them. Most importantly, they cost Cuba billions of dollars a year, which has forced the state to slash its budget for imports and domestic production of medicine, medical equipment and supplies.
When every dollar has to be stretched paper thin across an entire population, children like nine-year-old Carlos Rodríguez Cueto pay the price. Carlos has cystic fibrosis, but the medication he needs — Trikafta — costs upwards of $300,000 per patient per year.
"It's not that the doctors don't want to help," his mother says. "It's that they can't."
Historically, Cuba's Health Ministry has devoted significant resources to saving individual lives — providing intensive care, complex surgeries, long-term treatment and expensive medications free of charge.
The government spends about 20% of its budget on health, about twice the global average. But after eight years of intensified economic warfare waged by the first Trump administration, Biden and now Trump again, the Cuban government’s coffers have been drained and the health system is buckling.
Increasingly, Cuban doctors and nurses are forced to practice triage.
“When you have $100, you have to think about how many people those $100 can help,” said Fernández. “And so sometimes, children with very specific conditions get left behind.”
With Rubio in Wonderland, Dems Denounce Blockade
In a now-familiar display of political make-believe, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio last week told Al Jazeera that the U.S. government has done “nothing punitive” to Cuba. Rubio added that the U.S. oil blockade is not the reason for fuel scarcities. As is usually the case when Rubio speaks to the media, his ludicrous claims received no pushback from the journalist interviewing him.
More than 50 senators and representatives presented a more accurate description of U.S. policy toward Cuba in a letter to Donald Trump on Thursday that condemned the administration for “engineering an accelerated energy collapse.”
“Doubling down on failed strategies by restricting access to energy and health care is contrary to American values and is needlessly exacerbating a humanitarian crisis,” reads the letter, which was headlined by Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY) and Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA). “Cuba has signaled its willingness to cooperate on issues you have claimed to be priorities, namely migration and drug trafficking, and we urge you to pursue diplomacy over failed pressure tactics.”
The letter was sent a week after Rep. Nydia Velázquez (D-NY) introduced the Cuba War Powers Resolution, which seeks to prevent U.S. military actions against Cuba without congressional approval.
“Donald Trump's belligerent foreign policy is creating new wars and conflicts across the world. As our country is already embroiled in a new war with Iran, the President has set his sights on regime change in Cuba,” Velázquez said in a statement.
A similar resolution was introduced earlier last month by three Democratic senators.
Anti-Imperialist Bicycle Rally Takes Over Malecón
Thousands flooded Havana’s Malecón on bicycles, rollerblades, skateboards and electric vehicles Thursday to denounce the U.S. blockade.
“This march is an act of showing the world that we are standing firm,” said Marcelo Pereira, a student at the Higher Institute of International Relations.
The U.S. Embassy in Havana warned its citizens to avoid the peaceful, green-energy rally.
Irish hip-hop group Kneecap performed in Havana as part of the Nuestra América Convoy’s humanitarian mission. In a press conference, the Belfast trio talked to reporters about why they made the trip, what they witnessed on the streets of Havana and the historical bond between Ireland and Cuba. A nationwide blackout, the third in March, happened in the middle of the conference.
“They're going about their lives as best they can. I think it's something we relate to,” said Móglaí Bap, a member of the group. “Even if you totally disagree with the politics of Cuba, punishing everybody in the country is never right…It's not in our nature as Irish people to witness injustice anywhere in the world and stay silent.”
Traveling to Cuba with the convoy, Puerto Rican writer Niki Franco spoke with Belly of the Beast journalist Liz Oliva Fernández on what the island represents for people in the United States and Puerto Rico. For Niki, what happens to Cuba is connected to struggles for social justice in other parts of the world.
Belly of the Beast journalist Daniel Montero was featured in a YouTube report by British journalist Owen Jones who was in Cuba last week reporting on the impact of U.S. policy. “What’s frustrating when people talk about this is they rarely describe it for what it is. This is war,” Daniel tells Owen. “There haven’t been bombs falling over Havana, but that doesn’t mean this is not a war and it doesn’t mean that there are no victims.”
Belly of the Beast journalist Liz Oliva Fernández was on Democracy Now! to talk about Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s latest falsehoods. “They said there isn’t an oil blockade, but then they are threatening people, threatening countries with tariffs if they try to get oil to Cuba,” Liz said in the interview with Amy Goodman. Watch the interview with Liz HERE.
Liz also spoke to journalists Ryan Grim and Emily Jashinksy on Breaking Points, where she was joined by TrueAnon’s Brace Belden. Watch the interview with Liz and Brace HERE.
Lee Schlenker breaks down in Responsible Statecraft what’s behind the Trump administration's decision to not block Russian oil from getting to Cuba.
Richard Stone writes in Science about how Cuba's scientific community is collateral damage of the Trump administration’s economic war on Cuba. “There’s an effort to degrade everything Cuba has achieved in education and science, and send us back to the Stone Age,” Mitchell Valdes Sosa, director of the Cuban Neuroscience Center, told Stone.
Don’t miss TrueAnon’s in-depth interview with Valdes Sosa, which was recorded at Belly of the Beast’s office in Havana.
Mark Weisbrot, from the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR), argues in the Los Angeles Times that U.S. sanctions on Cuba constitute collective punishment and violate the Geneva Conventions.
Cuba to Free More Than 2,000 Prisoners
The Cuban government will free 2,010 prisoners, according to state-run media outlet Granma, which called the decision a “humanitarian and sovereign gesture.”
The prisoners would be released via pardons based on “a careful analysis of the crimes committed by those convicted, their good conduct in prison, their serving a significant portion of their sentence, and their health," according to Granma.
Cuba released 51 prisoners in March following talks with the Holy See. In January 2025, more than 500 prisoners were freed in a move linked to the removal of Cuba from the U.S. State Department's "state sponsors of terrorism" list in the final days of the Biden administration. Trump returned Cuba to the list on his first day back in office.
This latest and much larger prisoner release could be a sign that talks with the United States are advancing.
Judge: Trump Illegally Targeted 900K Immigrants
U.S. District Court Judge Allison Burroughs Tuesday ruled that the Trump administration’s decision to end the legal status of almost a million immigrants last year was "illegal.”
Hundreds of thousands of people, including Cubans, entered the U.S. legally under the Biden administration’s CBP One online application system, which gave immigrants appointments at the border following a stay in Mexico.
Last year, the Trump administration revoked their status via an email, demanding they leave the country immediately.
Under Trump, Cubans have lost many of the immigration privileges they historically enjoyed. Almost 2,000 Cubans, including many who arrived in the U.S. via CBP One, have been deported to the island since last year.
Cuba to US: Everything But Sovereignty “On the Table”
Cuba’s Deputy Foreign Minister Josefina Vidal emphasized her government’s willingness to negotiate with the U.S. in an exclusive interview with Al Jazeera.
“We are ready and willing and open to every issue on the negotiation agenda with the U.S., with one exception: independence, sovereignty and internal affairs,” she said.
Vidal mentioned “U.S. participation in Cuba’s economic transformation” as one of the issues her government would be willing to discuss.
Meanwhile, Lianys Torres Rivera, Cuba’s top diplomat in the U.S., told USA TODAY that Cuba would negotiate with the Trump administration on a “huge...range” of issues.
“So, the U.S. wants to be engaged in the economic transformation in Cuba? Let's do it,” she said.
Torres pointed to steps the Trump administration could take to advance negotiations, including removing Cuba from the state sponsors of terrorism list, suspending Title III of the Helms-Burton Act, and removing a restriction that prohibits Cuba from importing products from third countries that are made with at least 10% of U.S. components.
Black Doctors Call Out Cuba Blockade’s Human Toll
The National Medical Association (NMA), the oldest and largest organization representing Black physicians and health professionals in the U.S., released a statement Wednesday expressing “deep concern” about the consequences of the Trump administration’s blockade against Cuba.
“As physicians committed to health equity and global health justice, we call for immediate removal of elements of the blockade that have led to the humanitarian and health impacts affecting the people of Cuba,” reads the statement.
OAS Rights Commission Ignores Elephant in the Room
The Organization of American States’ Inter American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) published a statement last week expressing “concern over the worsening humanitarian crisis in Cuba.”
Though the commission recognizes that deteriorating conditions are “linked to a sharp reduction in fuel supplies to the island,” it places the blame for the crisis squarely on the Cuban government.
The “primary responsibility for the well-being of the Cuban population lies with the Cuban State itself, whose restrictive economic policies and single-party system are the structural causes of the crisis,” according to the IACHR.
The statement does not once mention the U.S. oil blockade or U.S. sanctions.
That omission may have to do with Rosa María Payá, a newly elected Cuban-American pro-Trump member of the commission who has a history of endorsing the very U.S. policies at the root of Cuba’s economic crisis.
Last year, Payá became the U.S. representative at the IACHR despite concerns from an independent panel of her “conflicts of interest” and lack of knowledge about human rights law.
The Rubio-led State Department lobbied hard for Payá’s election into the organization.
Payá runs Cuba Decide, which is backed by groups bankrolled by the U.S. government. She has also been a vocal supporter of Washington’s sanctions against Cuba, which have contributed to shortages in food, medicine and electricity on the island.
Payá has maintained cozy relations with right-wing leaders like Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro and Donald Trump. In 2020, Payá praised then de facto Bolivian president Jeanine Áñez (now in prison for leading a coup) weeks after her government committed massacres that were condemned by the IACHR.
Join Us On a Guided Trip to Cuba!
Travel to Havana with Belly of the Beast journalists and filmmakers for an immersive eight-day trip where you’ll meet the people behind our stories, visit community projects and experience the island beyond the headlines.
Truly independent media relies on donations. Your tax-deductible donation helps us continue producing independent, on-the-ground reporting about Cuba that you won’t find anywhere else.
Every contribution — big or small — strengthens our journalism. Thank you for being part of our community!
Boletines en Español | English Newsletters Archives El sistema de salud pública y gratuito de Cuba fue considerado durante mucho tiempo el mejor del Sur Global, con la mayor proporción de médicos por paciente en el mundo y una tasa de mortalidad infantil inferior a la de Estados Unidos. Pero las sanciones de EE. UU. —y ahora un bloqueo petrolero— han tenido un impacto devastador en las clínicas y hospitales de Cuba. Esta semana analizamos qué ocurre cuando el país más poderoso libra una...
Boletines en Español | English Newsletters Archives Más de 600 activistas de solidaridad provenientes de decenas de países se unieron al Convoy Nuestra América en La Habana para entregar 35 toneladas de ayuda humanitaria con el fin de contrarrestar la guerra económica del gobierno de Estados Unidos contra Cuba. Entre ellos se encontraban cubanoamericanos que rechazan la política letal impulsada por políticos de línea dura como el Secretario de Estado Marco Rubio, quien afirma representar a la...
English Newsletters Archives | Boletines en Español More than 600 solidarity activists from dozens of countries joined the Nuestra América Convoy in Havana last weekend to deliver 35 tons of humanitarian aid to counter the U.S. government’s economic war on Cuba. Among them were Cuban Americans who reject the deadly policy pushed by hard-line politicians like Secretary of State Marco Rubio claiming to represent the Cuban-American community. This week, we hear from one of the activists — Danny...
