Statement by the Executive Bureau of the Fourth International
An immediate end to the energy and food blockade against the island! Lula and Sheinbaum: condemnations are not enough – oil for Cuba now!
Since February of this year, the United States government has been carrying out a policy of genocide against the Cuban people through a military, economic, and energy blockade. Imperialism, under the leadership of Trump, seeks to subjugate the Caribbean nation by intensifying a long-standing economic stranglehold—the consequences of which for the people can only be described as cruel. Washington continues to issue various types of military threats against Cuba as part of a broader war against the sovereignty of all Latin American nations and against Latino peoples within the United States.
The Cuban people and their revolutionary tradition have served as an example of solidarity with various countries around the world as they face adversity. The true reason for the intensification of the blockade is the audacity of a people who have stood as a symbol and an inspiration for generations of those who have fought for national sovereignty and social transformation. Cuba is the only country in Latin America where, following Fidel’s declaration in 1961 that the revolution was socialist in nature, the bourgeoisie was expropriated.
The current situation in Cuba has become a true humanitarian crisis. The constant threat of a new military operation by Trump-era imperialism against a sovereign Latin American nation demands that we express our solidarity by supporting its resistance efforts. It is necessary to develop and support unified national and international campaigns in defense of Cuba, as well as self-organised initiatives such as the “Nuestra América” (Our America) flotilla.
It is a matter of defending the sovereignty and independence of a Latin American country that has historically been oppressed and besieged by imperialism. It is urgent to do everything possible to ensure that oil supplies to Cuba are restored and that food and medicine can be sent to the island.
Cuba faces not only the hostility of U.S. imperialism but also abandonment by those countries that, in theory, ought to challenge the unipolar order. Despite the supposed shift toward a world with multiple poles of influence, what we have witnessed is a cowardly policy of submission to the energy blockade promoted by the Trump administration—a stance adopted even by oil-producing nations such as Russia, China, Brazil, and Mexico. This starkly exposes the hypocrisy of "multipolarity" and the contradictions inherent in progressivism.
Russia and China could challenge the total blockade imposed by Washington against Cuba without facing insurmountable risks. Russia sent an oil tanker to Cuba—which arrived at the port of Matanzas in late March 2026—carrying enough oil to meet the country’s needs for fifteen days. This example illustrates a potential policy of providing aid to the Cuban people; however, Russia has chosen to abandon Cuba in the face of Washington’s pressure, instead using the island as a bargaining chip in negotiations with Trump to secure greater room for manoeuvre in Ukraine. The withholding of aid to the vulnerable Cuban population serves as a bargaining tool for Russia in its negotiations with the United States.
While there has been no clear challenge to the genocidal, Trump-era policy, there have been significant—though still insufficient given Cuba’s current needs—signs of aid. China has pursued a policy of donating solar photovoltaic systems, which has exponentially increased solar energy production capacity and prevented an even greater collapse of Cuban society. Between February and June 2026, Mexico dispatched six official humanitarian aid convoys to Cuba, carrying basic food supplies and hygiene products. Humanitarian aid from Brazil has consisted of medicines and first-aid supplies. Overall, the humanitarian aid provided by Mexico to Cuba is more substantial, more frequent, and more direct than that provided by Brazil.
Mexico has deployed its own military, using Mexican navy warships directly, to break the maritime blockade of Cuba. These government military vessels are transporting cargo from port to port. In early September, the United States Coast Guard intercepted a vessel in the Caribbean that was carrying fuel to Cuba. According to the U.S. government, the operation was the result of coordinated actions by the governments of the United States and Mexico. After boarding the vessel, the U.S. Coast Guard escorted it to the port of Progreso, in the Mexican state of Yucatán, where the Mexican Navy confirmed that the vessel was carrying fuel.
To avoid further conflict with Trump, Brazil has turned to the UN. Its aid consists of a pledge of food supplies, channelled through the multilateral framework of the World Food Programme (WFP). While Brazil provides the goods, their distribution relies on third-party logistics or the capacity of Cuban vessels to collect them. By classifying these shipments as multilateral “humanitarian donations,” Brazil provides itself with a legal safeguard, helping to ensure that its companies—such as Petrobras—do not become targets of U.S. sanctions. In contrast to Mexico, which sends its own military vessels directly into Havana Bay, Brazil delegates the entire physical handling of the aid to the UN and the World Food Programme. It is a form of essential, yet “neutral,” assistance that carries far less potential for political confrontation.
In keeping with its tradition of internationalism and defense of the Cuban Revolution, the Fourth International expresses its support for the revolutionary people of Cuba in their struggle to survive against the blockade and the energy embargo imposed by the United States, and demands that these be lifted immediately, unconditionally, and permanently.
All those who defend sovereignty and the right of peoples to self-determination must speak out, take a clear stand, and mobilise against the blockade!
Trump and Rubio – Hands Off Cuba!
An immediate end to the energy and food blockade against the island! Lula and Sheinbaum: condemnations are not enough—oil for Cuba, now!
Member States of the European Union, enough of bowing to Trump’s diktats!
For a global humanitarian campaign of solidarity with the Cuban people.
12 October 2026