Miguel Díaz-Canel delivered a pre-recorded message on Thursday to the Second International Conference on Unilateral Coercive Measures, held in Geneva under the auspices of the United Nations. In his address, he placed the blame for Cuba's ongoing crisis squarely on the U.S. embargo, while sidestepping any accountability of his own regime.
In the video directed at the conference, which was organized by Alena Douhan, the special rapporteur on unilateral coercive measures, Díaz-Canel described the condition in Cuba as a prolonged collective punishment aimed at subjugating its people through hunger, disease, and severe shortages of essential supplies.
The Cuban leader accused Washington of blatantly, deliberately, and unjustifiably violating the human rights of an entire nation.
As a symbol of his accusations, Díaz-Canel cited the arrival of the Russian vessel Anatoly Kolodkin at the port of Matanzas on March 31, carrying 100,000 tons of fuel. He highlighted the international media coverage of this event to illustrate what he termed the "criminal intent" of the United States to strangle Cuba's economy.
What Díaz-Canel did not mention is that this shipment covers merely nine to ten days of diesel demand on the island, a figure that underscores the magnitude of the structural collapse that no UN speech can conceal.
In his message, Díaz-Canel also shared staggering statistics: over 96,000 Cubans, including 11,000 children, are awaiting surgeries due to power shortages; more than 16,000 patients in need of radiotherapy, and 2,888 dependent on hemodialysis, are affected by the energy crisis; meanwhile, public transportation is virtually at a standstill.
These numbers reflect decades of inefficiency within the centralized economic model that the regime refuses to reform, compounded by an outdated electrical infrastructure.
Cuba's GDP has plummeted by 23% since 2019, with a forecast of -7.2% for 2026 according to the Economist Intelligence Unit, marking a collapse trajectory that predates the tightening of sanctions by the Trump administration.
The energy crisis worsened from January 2026 due to a confluence of factors: the halt of Venezuelan shipments following Nicolás Maduro's capture, the suspension of Mexican supplies under Washington's pressure, and Trump's executive order on January 29 declaring Cuba an "extraordinary and unusual threat."
However, even before these measures, Cuba was producing only 40% of the oil it needed, showing that its energy dependency is a direct result of the revolutionary model's failure, not the embargo.
In his address, Díaz-Canel demanded that the United Nations establish a Human Rights Council working group and adopt a binding legal instrument to mandate the lifting of sanctions, while delivering a fiery rhetoric.
"What right does the world's largest economic power have to perpetrate such abuse against a small developing country?" asked the leader who resists opening the country to the changes the Cuban economy desperately needs.
On March 13, Díaz-Canel appeared on national television to declare that the government was not to blame for Cuba's crisis. "The revolution is not at fault," he now repeats to the international community, as the Cuban people endure power outages lasting over thirty hours and an unprecedented scarcity of resources.
In October 2025, eight independent economists agreed that solving Cuba's crisis requires a profound economic and political transition, not diplomatic patches in multilateral forums.
Understanding Cuba's Economic and Energy Crisis
What is the main cause of the economic crisis in Cuba according to Díaz-Canel?
Díaz-Canel attributes the economic crisis in Cuba primarily to the U.S. embargo, which he claims is a form of prolonged collective punishment against the Cuban people.
How has the energy crisis in Cuba affected public services?
The energy crisis has led to significant disruptions, with over 96,000 individuals, including children, awaiting surgeries due to power shortages, and public transportation nearly paralyzed.
What factors worsened Cuba's energy crisis in 2026?
The crisis was exacerbated by the cessation of Venezuelan shipments, pressure on Mexican supplies from Washington, and Trump's executive order declaring Cuba a threat.