Cuban President Díaz-Canel accuses the US of 'Genocidal Policy' amid deepening economic crisis

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel has accused the United States of executing a genocidal policy and using Nazi practices to strangle the island's economy. Speaking on the 73rd anniversary of the Moncada barracks attack on July 26, 2026, Díaz-Canel condemned a crippling U.S. oil embargo imposed in January 2026 and recent sanctions targeting Cuba's medical missions. The measures have triggered severe fuel shortages, grid collapses, and blackouts of up to 30 hours, forcing major foreign companies to exit the country.

Díaz-Canel Moncada anniversary speech

• ▪Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel delivered a speech on July 26, 2026, in Pinar del Río marking the 73rd anniversary of the 1953 Moncada barracks attack
• ▪Former Cuban President Raúl Castro, aged 95, was absent from the July 26, 2026, revolutionary anniversary rally
• ▪Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel accused the United States government of carrying out a cold-bloodedly calculated genocide and using Nazi practices against Cuba

US oil restrictions on Cuba

• ▪The United States imposed an oil embargo on Cuba on January 29, 2026, following the United States military's removal of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro
• ▪United States President Donald Trump stated in March or April 2026 that he would take over Cuba

Medical mission sanctions

• ▪Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel stated that United States sanctions targeting public health officials have prevented over 100,000 scheduled surgeries in Cuba
• ▪The United States announced new sanctions on July 23, 2026, targeting Cuba's overseas medical missions program and public health officials

Cuban energy crisis blackouts

• ▪The fuel shortage in Cuba has triggered multiple national power grid collapses, crippled public transportation, and cut the school year short
• ▪Cuba's energy crisis has caused daily power outages lasting up to 20 hours in some areas and up to 30 hours in Havana

US-Cuba strategic confrontation

• ▪Major international companies, including Visa, Mastercard, Melia, Air Canada, and Air France, have exited Cuba during the economic crisis
• ▪In May 2026, the United States indicted former Cuban President Raúl Castro for murder regarding the 1996 downing of two civilian airplanes
• ▪A United States State Department report accused Cuba of running an espionage network and backing left-wing terrorism on American soil

Cuban economic reforms

• ▪Cuba's government implemented a batch of major free-market economic reforms in June 2026 to expand private-sector space and ease bureaucratic controls
• ▪Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel called for national unity and declared that Cuba's socialist political model is nonnegotiable