Spain, Brazil, and Mexico strengthen their alliance and pledge to send aid to Cuba to alleviate the humanitarian crisis – EL PAÍS English
The three countries condemn the ‘dramatic situation facing the Cuban people’ and call for respect for the island’s sovereignty in response to Trump’s pressure
Spain, Mexico, and Brazil have reaffirmed their diplomatic rapprochement following the summit of progressive leaders in Barcelona this weekend and are joining forces to denounce U.S. pressure on Cuba. The three countries called for dialogue in the face of the threat of military intervention on the island and pledged in a joint declaration to increase the delivery of humanitarian aid to address the “dramatic situation facing the Cuban people” after three months of energy cuts imposed by the Trump administration.
“We express our deep concern about the serious humanitarian crisis facing the people of Cuba and urge that the necessary measures be taken to alleviate this situation and that actions that worsen the living conditions of the population or that are contrary to international law be avoided,” the three governments said in a statement released Saturday night, just hours after the closing of the IV Summit in Defense of Democracy, an initiative that brought together more than a dozen progressive leaders.
Spain and the two largest Latin American powers also demanded respect for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the island, and urged “seeking a lasting solution to the current situation and ensuring that the Cuban people themselves decide their future in complete freedom,” according to the joint declaration, which does not explicitly refer to the United States.
This trilateral positioning was one of the most visible concrete results of the meeting in the Catalan capital.
The declaration responds to a proposal put forward by Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum during her opening remarks at the forum of left-wing leaders convened in Barcelona by the government of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. Sheinbaum expressed her hope that “peace and dialogue will prevail” amid the diplomatic tensions between Washington and Havana in recent months and called on all participating states to join in a joint statement opposing a possible military intervention, while avoiding a direct confrontation with the United States, Mexico’s neighbor and main trading partner.
The Mexican president also recalled that her country was one of the few in Latin America to denounce the economic blockade imposed on Cuba by the White House since the 1970s. It has also been one of the most active in sending emergency aid to the island.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva went a step further in his remarks at the closing of the official ceremony, admitting he was “worried” about the strangulation imposed on Cuba: “This blockade must stop, and Cubans must be allowed to continue their lives.” Lula referred to Trump as “the warlord” and denounced Washington’s interventions in the region, such as the operation to capture Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela on January 3. “We cannot wake up every morning and go to sleep every night with a president of the republic tweeting and threatening the world, declaring war,” he lamented.
The Cuban government expressed its gratitude for the support of the three countries. “Amid the difficult situation facing Cuba, due to the intensification of the U.S. blockade to extreme levels, the current energy embargo, and the constant threats from the U.S. government, we acknowledge the dignified and supportive joint statement issued by the governments of Brazil, Spain, and Mexico,” stated Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez in a message posted on social media.
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