CARICOM foreign ministers condemn intensified US measures against Cuba

Foreign affairs ministers from the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) on Wednesday voiced “profound concern” over what they described as escalating economic, commercial, and financial measures imposed on Cuba by the United States.

However, Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago reserved their positions from the collective statement issued by the CARICOM Council for Foreign and Community Relations (COFCOR).

The two countries are members of the US-led Shield of the Americas alliance, a regional security initiative launched in March 2026 involving 17 countries across the Western Hemisphere focused on intelligence sharing, counter-narcotics operations, transnational organized crime, and migration security cooperation.

In its statement, COFCOR said the growing economic pressure on Cuba was worsening humanitarian conditions and affecting Caribbean nationals residing or studying there.

“The mounting hardships facing the Cuban people also seriously impact CARICOM nationals studying and living in Cuba, whose well-being remains a priority for the Community,” the ministers said.

The regional bloc criticized additional measures announced by Donald Trump, whose administration recently issued an executive order targeting foreign participation in the Cuban economy.

Trump stated that the “policies, practices, and actions” of Cuba were harmful to the United States and incompatible with “the moral and political values of free and democratic societies.”

Among the measures announced were expanded restrictions aimed at preventing foreign entities and individuals from operating within sectors of the Cuban economy, subject to determinations by the US Treasury and State Departments.

The latest actions build on the decades-old US trade and economic embargo against Havana.

Earlier this month, US authorities also announced criminal charges against former Cuban President Raúl Castro, including allegations related to conspiracy to kill US nationals, destruction of an aircraft, and murder.

COFCOR said Washington’s latest actions deepen the impact of sanctions that have been in place for more than six decades.

“These measures compound the trade and economic embargo imposed on Cuba for over six decades, which has had a deleterious effect on the lives and livelihoods of the Cuban people,” the statement said.

The ministers also condemned attempts to disrupt Cuba’s energy supplies, warning that such actions were contributing to a worsening humanitarian crisis.

“COFCOR unequivocally affirms Cuba’s sovereign right to import and receive fuel, and condemns the obstruction of energy supplies to Cuba, which has precipitated a grave humanitarian crisis,” the statement added.

The regional body further warned against any potential military escalation involving Cuba, reaffirming CARICOM’s longstanding position that the Caribbean should remain a “Zone of Peace.”

“COFCOR reaffirms the need for the preservation of the Caribbean as a Zone of Peace and expresses alarm at recent statements that suggest the possibility of military aggression against the Republic of Cuba,” the ministers said.

They warned that any military action would destabilize regional security and inflict unnecessary suffering throughout the Caribbean.

The ministers also reiterated annual positions taken by the overwhelming majority of United Nations member states opposing the US embargo, arguing that Cuba “poses no threat to any nation” and remains a cooperative member of the international community.

According to COFCOR, the continued use of unilateral sanctions against Cuba represents “an unjustifiable violation of human rights, the principles of free trade, and the fundamental norms governing relations among sovereign states.”