“The blockade, which has existed for more than 60 years continuously, has escalated once again because of the decisions of the US President.”
By Bernard Regan, Cuba Solidarity Campaign
On October 28th, 2025, Cuba will present to the United Nations General Assembly for the 34th time, the resolution calling for an end to the United States blockade of the island. On every previous occasion it has been passed successfully by overwhelming majority votes.
Last year it was adopted by 187 votes for and 2 against with 1 abstention. The opponents of the motion were the United States itself and Israel whilst the abstainer was Moldova. This year’s motion entitled ““Necessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States of America against Cuba,” will undoubtedly once again be approved.
Cuba has already presented the evidence of the consequences of the blockade in its report to the United Nations in May of this year. The Cuban government estimates the cost of U.S. sanctions between March 2024 and February 2025 at $7.56 billion (£5.66 billion). Whilst it hits the Cuban banking and financial sectors extremely hard the blockade impacts directly on the lives of every single Cuban. Schools are deprived of basic materials: pens, paper, pencils, computers, books; hospitals denied essential medicines, equipment; homes, because of blockade imposed shortages of oil, denied electricity. The National List of Essential Medicines in Cuba includes 651 items, 250 of which are imported and 401 are produced locally, but 69 per cent of them have been impacted by the blockade. Of this big total, 364 medicines are in short supply, representing 56 per cent of the total.
Essential equipment, like valves, produced in the US for the implementation of vital surgery to treat heart diseases especially in older people is denied. Without these valves the operation becomes more complex and as a result 158,800 patients will face more problematical surgery. Implantable defibrillators and pacemakers are prevented from reaching the island along with critical medicines which are produced in a land just 90 miles away. The list goes on of equipment and medicines which should be easily obtainable but because of Trump’s vindictiveness they are denied to the suffering patients.
Of course these policies are also denying US companies the chance to trade with Cuba. The blockade however does not just affect US companies. “Due to the blockade, Cuba cannot normally access advanced US- manufactured technologies and medicines, or medical equipment in which more than 10 per cent of components are made in the US.” Both US and foreign companies are fearful of losing their markets in the States or of being fined by the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).
Just one recent example illustrates the point. On 2nd July 2025, OFAC announced a “$608,825 settlement with Key Holding, LLC, a Delaware-based global logistics company, for non-egregious apparent violations of the Cuban Assets Control Regulations by its Colombian subsidiary that managed unlicensed shipments to Cuba.” The company became subject to the fine because it had acquired Key Holdings Colombia’s subsidiary, Key Logistics Colombia which was transporting 35 freight containers to Cuba. “The majority of the shipments consisted of foodstuffs … while three shipments included safety-related oil well machinery components, towels and electric forage choppers.” The fine was originally set at $4,007,088 but was reduced because the company referred itself to OFAC. Nevertheless this will be another company that wont be transporting vital goods to the island,
With the losses increasing by an estimated 49% on last year the situation facing the Cuban people is indeed far worse. The Cuban report rightly describes these actions as acts of “suffocation and financial persecutions… surgically designed against our country, aimed at undermining the economy. Affecting strategic sectors for our development, hindering international trade activity and preventing the arrival of essential supplies for the population”.
The blockade, which has existed for more than 60 years continuously, has escalated once again because of the decisions of the US President. President Jo Biden’s removal of Cuba from list of States Sponsors of Terrorism (SSOT) took place a mere 5 days before he left office on 20th January 2025. Withing 24 hours of assuming the Presidency, Donald Trump placed Cuba back on the list, a move which has a direct impact on the country’s ability to trade internationally because it is prohibited from using the Belgium based SWIFT (Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication) system. Denied access to credits and compelled to pay more for goods because of increase transportation and insurance costs Cuba is punished again and again.
US President Donald Trump however is not satisfied. A new offensive has begun to try to win countries at the United Nations to support Washington’s blockade. Messages have gone out to all US diplomats urging them to pressurise governments to vote against Cuba’s resolution, making false claims that Havana is sending troops to aid Russia in the war with Ukraine. Any Cubans fighting on the side of Russia are there against the policy of Cuba which has opposed any recruitment of mercenaries.
The UK government has voted consistently against the blockade. Let us hope that it retains that position, does not buckle under Trump’s pressure and that it takes positive steps to ensure Cuba can trade globally without fear of reprisals from the USA.
- Bernard Regan is Secretary of the Cuba Solidarity Campaign (CSC). You can follow Bernard on Twitter/X here; and follow the CSC on Facebook, Twitter/X and Instagram.
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