‘United States seeks to carry out genocide against the Cuban people,’ says Cuba’s ambassador to Brazil – Brasil de Fato
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Since returning to office in January 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have intensified Washington’s hostile policies toward Cuba, a confrontation that dates back to the aftermath of the 1959 Cuban Revolution. The longstanding unilateral economic blockade against the island, repeatedly condemned by an overwhelming majority of United Nations member states, continues to impose severe economic and humanitarian constraints on the Cuban population.
Recent developments, including increased U.S. military presence in the Caribbean and the January 3 military aggression against Venezuela, have, according to Cuban officials, opened a new phase of tensions in the region. Last Thursday (29), Trump signed an executive order authorizing tariffs against countries that supply oil to Cuba, a measure that threatens to deepen the island’s ongoing energy shortages.
In this context, Cuba’s ambassador in Brasília, Adolfo Curbelo Castellanos, spoke briefly with BdF, stating that “the United States seeks to carry out a genocide against the Cuban people.”
BdF: Ambassador, how do you assess the recent attack against Venezuela and its consequences for Latin America?
Adolfo Curbelo Castellanos: This was not only an attack against Venezuela; it was an attack against the sovereignty of all Latin America, an attempt to impose a doctrine through force. There is an open declaration of intent to seize the natural resources of our continent, resources that our peoples have defended with great sacrifice and for which independence was hard-won.
In Cuba’s case, everyone knows that a recent U.S. presidential directive labeled the country an “unusual threat,” which is an extraordinary falsehood. First, because Cuba threatens no one. Second, because the arguments invoked are entirely unfounded. Cuba does not harbor terrorism, it rejects it. In fact, Cuba has historically been a victim of terrorism originating from the United States, where individuals responsible for attacks against our country were sheltered. Cuba cooperates internationally and poses no threat. The real danger is the policy and conduct of the U.S. government, not only toward Cuba but toward the entire region.
How do you evaluate the recent U.S. decision to impose sanctions on those trading oil with Cuba?
Castellanos: We see this new directive as a direct threat. It is a declaration of intent by the United States government to commit genocide against the Cuban people. We say this explicitly because intensifying the blockade by preventing even a drop of oil from entering Cuba qualifies as genocide under international conventions.
Why genocide? Because it deprives the Cuban people of their means of subsistence. When you impose a blockade like this, and openly state that the objective is to force our country into submission, we do not see this as an isolated action but as a measure that may escalate into broader forms of aggression.
How can people around the world contribute to denouncing this situation and supporting Cuba?
Castellanos: International solidarity is essential. It is important to mobilize global solidarity, particularly for Brazilian society and its institutions to speak out. This is not only a commitment of solidarity with Cuba but also a commitment to all of Latin America. We all have a duty to defend sovereignty, including Brazil’s.
No one should be mistaken: this is directed against all of us. Political solidarity is crucial, as is practical solidarity, to challenge attempts to block Cuba’s access to oil, food, medicines and essential supplies. Meanwhile, the Cuban people and leadership remain clear about our decision to resist and to prepare ourselves to defend our country if necessary, as we have always done.
Editorial BdFPontoNotícias da China
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