Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz denounced the new sanctions imposed by the United States government against the Cuba-Petroleum Union (Cupet). Which he described as another tightening of the energy blockade.
Through his official account on the social media platform X, the Prime Minister stated that “the announced sanction against the Cuba-Petroleum Union is a new attack by the US government against our people. The measure is another tightening of the energy blockade and its cruel impact on vital services and the daily lives of Cubans.”
For his part, the Cuban Foreign Minister stated on the same social media platform that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. “Driven by ambitions of conquest, presidential aspirations, and the vengeful sentiments of the elitist clique that propelled his political career. It is now further reinforcing the economic and energy blockade against Cuba.”
Rodríguez Parrilla asserted that to justify this, Rubio “doesn’t resort to excuses prepared by his State Department. Rather to the usual vulgar lies, the most aggressive, ignorant, and rabid of Cuba’s enemies.”
The sanction against Cupet was announced this Thursday by the U.S. Treasury Department. Which added the Cuban state-owned company to the Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) List.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused the Cuban government of “weaponizing energy” and “diverting energy resources to line their own pockets.” It claims that have been rejected by Cuban authorities.
The Cuban Foreign Minister had recently detailed, in a message on X. The specific effects of the United States’ economic war against the national electricity system.
Rodríguez Parrilla recalled that Presidential Memoranda NSPM-5 of 2017 and 2026 establish “financial and commercial strangulation and persecution”. As the core of the suffocation against Cuba. And that the island’s reinstatement on the unilateral list of alleged State Sponsors of Terrorism has made Cuba a “high-risk country” for any foreign transaction, business, or investment.
The head of Cuban diplomacy exemplified how U.S. sanctions have directly affected electricity generation. In 2023, a European company canceled the sale of spare parts for power generation turbines for fear of sanctions. In 2025, a company from a friendly country denied technical assistance for the Cienfuegos thermoelectric plant because it contained components of U.S. origin. And contracted technicians have decided not to travel to Cuba due to threats and pressure.
Rodríguez Parrilla also recalled that President Trump’s Executive Order 14380, issued on January 29th, 2026. Authorized the imposition of punitive tariffs against countries that supply oil to Cuba. Also that prior to this energy blockade, oil tankers were threatened with fines, asset seizures, and even interception on the high seas.
In addition, 40 foreign banks have refused to do business with Cuba, blocking 140 bank transfers. Many related to the purchase of solar or wind power technology.
Moreover the Foreign Minister concluded that “the Cuban electrical system is not a victim of neglect. It is the victim of a brutal war. Whoever is deliberately waging it knows perfectly well the damage they are doing to the population and hides behind a facade of lies and propaganda.”
The new sanction against Cupet, which controls the extraction, refining, and distribution of fuel in Cuba. It deepens the energy limitations that already affect vital services such as public health, transportation, and electricity generation.
With information from CNA
- Cuba sets priorities to overcome current difficulties - 12 de June de 2026
- Cuba denounces sanctions against Cupet, a further tightening of the US energy blockade - 12 de June de 2026
- 2026 FIFA World Cup: The ball starts rolling in the USA - 12 de June de 2026