China and Russia Express Support for Cuba as US Tightens Pressure on Havana

Apr 11, 2026

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel, in power since 2018, vows to resist US demands for his resignation, describing Cuba as a free sovereign state with the right to self-determination. President Donald Trump's administration has demanded regime change, labeled Cuba an unusual and extraordinary threat to US national security, and threatened a takeover while warning Cuba could face the same fate as Venezuela and Iran. The US imposed an oil blockade and threatened tariffs on any country selling oil to Cuba after Trump ousted Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro in January 2026, cutting Cuba's main oil supply and causing widespread power blackouts, fuel shortages, and disruptions to water and food distribution. Russia and China have rallied behind Cuba, with Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov stating Russia cannot betray or leave Cuba on its own, and a Russia-flagged tanker delivering 730,000 barrels of oil to Cuba in March 2026, the first shipment in three months.

Cuban President's Defiance Against US Pressure for Regime Change

▪Miguel Diaz-Canel has been Cuban president since 2018.
▪Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel stated he will not bow to pressure by the United States to resign.
▪Donald Trump labelled Cuba an unusual and extraordinary threat to US national security.
▪Donald Trump stated that Cuba could face the same fate as Venezuela and Iran.
▪President Donald Trump's administration has demanded regime change in Cuba.
▪Miguel Diaz-Canel described communist-ruled Cuba as a free sovereign state with the right to self-determination.

US Economic Blockade and Humanitarian Impact on Cuba

▪Cuba's main oil supply was cut off after Donald Trump ousted Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro in January 2026.
▪The United States threatened tariffs on any country that sells oil to Cuba.
▪The Cuban Revolution in the 1950s led to the overthrow of a US-backed military government.
▪Washington imposed a comprehensive trade embargo on Cuba by the early 1960s aimed at weakening revolutionary leader Fidel Castro.

Russia and China's Support for Cuba Amid US Sanctions

▪Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov stated that Russia cannot betray Cuba or leave Cuba on its own.
▪The Russia-flagged tanker that docked in Cuba in March 2026 was the first to reach the island in three months.
▪A Russia-flagged tanker carrying 730,000 barrels of oil docked in Cuba in March 2026.

Perspective of Russia

▪Russia's oil shipment to Cuba in March 2026 represents defiance of US threats against countries selling oil to Cuba.

Perspective of Trump administration

▪The Trump administration employs oil blockades and tariff threats as tools to force regime change in Cuba.
▪The Trump administration justifies pressure on Cuba by designating it an unusual and extraordinary threat to US national security.