Cuban President accuses US of genocidal policy, seeking to seize island

Source: AFP

Cuba's President Miguel Diaz-Canel attends a ceremony marking National Rebellion Day in Pinar del Rio, Cuba, July 26, 2026. | Photo Credit: Reuters

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel on Sunday (July 26, 2026) denounced Washington's pressure campaign against his country as a "genocidal policy," accusing the United States of seeking to "appropriate" the island.

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Escalating U.S. Pressure

On top of a decades-long embargo, the United States under President Donald Trump has drastically ramped up pressure in recent months on its communist southern neighbor, imposing:

• An effective oil blockade
• Biting sanctions

The campaign followed the U.S. military's toppling of Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro in January — removing a key ally of Cuba's communist leadership and a steady supply of oil.

Under U.S. pressure, Cuba appeals for international help

Economic Impact

The measures have led to:

• A drastic decline in tourism
• The departure of numerous foreign companies
• A drying up of foreign currency inflows

The United States maintains that Cuba, an ally of Russia and China, poses a security threat to the region and violates the rights of its citizens.

The most recent U.S. sanctions, announced on Thursday (July 23), target Cuba's overseas medical missions program — one of the country's main sources of revenue.

Diaz-Canel's Remarks

"Cuba is today waging a historic battle ... against the walls of a genocidal policy whose objective is to suffocate an entire people in order to appropriate the country," the Cuban leader said from the western province of Pinar del Rio.

Mr. Diaz-Canel was attending celebrations marking the 73rd anniversary of the 1953 attack on the Moncada barracks led by Fidel Castro, which is considered the beginning of the Cuban Revolution.

"The blockade is a weapon of war and it causes deaths," the president said, arguing that Washington was seeking to provoke, in Cuba and in other countries, a "social explosion with the sole aim of installing governments aligned with its imperial interests."

Energy Crisis and Domestic Response

The energy crisis on the island of 9.4 million people has caused several nationwide power outages that have sometimes lasted:

• 30 hours in the capital
• Several days in the provinces

Faced with growing discontent over the crisis, Mr. Diaz-Canel called Sunday for "unity" and touted the "implementation of economic and social transformations."

Cuba's government in June pushed through a batch of major free-market reforms but has repeatedly said its political model is not up for discussion and vowed to resist any military invasion.