Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernandez de Cossio has accused the United States of systematically pressuring governments worldwide to terminate bilateral healthcare agreements with Cuba, warning that the campaign has already deprived numerous communities of essential medical services. The remarks, shared on Facebook, come amid a broader escalation of Washington's economic pressure on the island nation.

Healthcare Programs Under Threat

According to Fernandez de Cossio, the US-led effort to dismantle Cuba's overseas healthcare partnerships has had a direct humanitarian cost. “To deprive many communities of access to health services,” he wrote, describing the consequence of governments yielding to Washington's pressure. Cuba operates bilateral medical programmes across Latin America, Africa, and parts of Asia, deploying thousands of doctors abroad — a cornerstone of its foreign policy for decades.

Energy Blockade and Its Consequences

Beyond healthcare, Fernandez de Cossio alleged that the US is successfully compelling other governments to enforce Washington's fuel export ban against Cuba. He also claimed the US is pressuring nations to abandon their traditional opposition to the American economic blockade at the United Nations — and in some cases, to refuse even to discuss the matter in that forum.

Cuban authorities have repeatedly characterised Washington's energy restrictions as an act of genocide and a form of collective punishment. The practical fallout has been severe: extended daily blackouts, transportation shortages, and widespread obstacles to economic activity across the island.

Over the past six months, Cuba — which is heavily dependent on fuel imports — has received just one oil tanker, the Russian vessel Anatoly Kolodkin, carrying approximately 100,000 tonnes of crude oil. According to official Cuban sources, the country requires roughly eight fuel tankers per month to function at normal capacity, making the current supply level a fraction of what is needed.

Trump's Cryptic Cuba Remark

Against this backdrop of mounting pressure, US President Donald Trump made an unexplained comment suggesting a possible shift in American policy toward Cuba. Speaking at the dedication of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in Medora, North Dakota, on Wednesday, Trump said: “Speaking of Cuba, after many, many decades, it’s coming our way, coming our way.”

The remark came during a broader discussion of Theodore Roosevelt's foreign policy legacy, including US influence in the Western Hemisphere, the construction of the Panama Canal, and the outcome of the Spanish-American War. Trump noted that following that conflict, Spain “relinquish(ed) their grip on Cuba and Guam, the Philippines and Puerto Rico” — before appending his brief, unelaborated reference to Cuba.

The President offered no policy specifics and made no formal announcement. The White House has not followed up with any clarification on what the remark was intended to signal.

Wider Context: A Decades-Long Standoff

The US economic blockade on Cuba has been in place for over six decades, surviving multiple administrations and repeatedly drawing condemnation at the UN General Assembly, where resolutions calling for its end have historically passed by overwhelming margins. Cuba's argument that the blockade constitutes collective punishment has found support among a broad coalition of nations — a coalition that, according to Fernandez de Cossio, Washington is now actively working to erode.

Whether Trump's comment foreshadows a genuine policy recalibration or was simply rhetorical remains unclear. Given the simultaneous pressure campaign described by Cuban officials, the two signals point in contradictory directions — and the world will be watching which one, if either, translates into action.