Karin Sullivan, the Chargé d'Affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Barbados, Eastern Caribbean, and the OECS, penned an op-ed on Thursday aimed directly at Eastern Caribbean governments, urging them to oppose Cuba's annual resolution against the embargo at the United Nations. The vote is scheduled for next Wednesday, October 28.
Her article, titled "The Truth Behind Havana's Darkness," is the latest move in a diplomatic campaign by Washington. Cuban leader Miguel Díaz-Canel claims this could sway some countries to change their vote due to U.S. pressure.
Sullivan challenges the regime's narrative that power outages and the healthcare crisis are solely consequences of the American embargo.
"Why do the lights go out? Because the incompetent regime puts itself first," she states, backing her assertion with a series of statistics the Cuban government typically withholds.
The first statistic debunks the "total blockade" myth: In 2025, the U.S. exported over $810 million in food, medicines, and medical equipment to Cuba, as American laws specifically permit such trade.
The second statistic highlights the regime's spending priorities: In 2024, the Cuban government spent 11 times more on sustaining its tourism industry—controlled by the military conglomerate GAESA—than on healthcare and education combined, while hospitals remain in the dark and children await medical care.
The third statistic reveals the fate of Venezuelan oil: Between late 2024 and late 2025, Venezuela supplied Cuba with about 70,000 barrels daily, yet the regime resold approximately 60% of this crude to Asia for cash, rather than allocating it for domestic use.
Exposing the Realities of Cuban Medical Brigades
The article also scrutinizes Cuban medical brigades in the Caribbean, which Havana portrays as humanitarian aid but historically uses as diplomatic leverage with small regional states.
Sullivan bluntly describes these brigades as forced labor: host countries pay large sums for each doctor, but the regime seizes between 50% and 95% of their wages, withholds their identification documents, and restricts their movement. "This is not humanitarian work. It's forced labor," she emphasizes.
She recalls a statement by Secretary of State Marco Rubio: "The suffering in rural Cuba is acute and deep. It's not because of the embargo. It's because they don't know how to run an economy."
U.S. Humanitarian Efforts Versus Cuban Repression
Sullivan contrasts the regime's repression—over 800 political prisoners—with the humanitarian aid the United States provided after Hurricane Melissa: nine million dollars funneled through the Catholic Church and another 100 million announced through Catholic Relief Services and Samaritan's Purse, distributed without the Cuban government's involvement.
Her final message is a direct appeal to the regime's Caribbean allies: "Partners or allies who vote in favor of the regime's resolution support a dictatorship that violently represses its people, exports violence and radicalism, and threatens the stability of our hemisphere."
She urges them to openly oppose the Cuban dictatorship and "demand real changes, instead of continuing to blame others for their own failures. The Cuban people deserve a future free from a regime that has failed them, not another year of excuses."
Changing International Support for Cuba
The Trump administration has also intensified efforts to reduce support for the Cuban resolution against the embargo.
Recently, it was revealed that Germany is considering breaking 24 years of favorable votes for Havana. In 2024, the Cuban initiative garnered 187 favorable votes. However, in 2025, support fell to 165 countries, with seven votes against and 12 abstentions. Hungary became the first EU member to vote against, while Poland, the Czech Republic, and the three Baltic states chose to abstain.
Last July, a different vote, aimed at authorizing an extraordinary debate on Cuba, gathered only 136 favorable votes, nine against, and 30 abstentions.
Key Questions on U.S.-Cuba Relations and UN Voting
What is the main argument used by the U.S. against the Cuban resolution?
The U.S. argues that the issues in Cuba, such as power outages and healthcare crises, are results of the regime's mismanagement rather than the embargo.
How has the U.S. supported Cuba despite the embargo?
In 2025, the United States exported over $810 million in food, medicines, and medical equipment to Cuba, as U.S. laws allow such trade.
What changes in international support for Cuba have been observed?
Support for Cuba's resolution has waned, with Germany considering a vote change and Hungary voting against it. In 2025, fewer countries supported the resolution compared to previous years.