Over the past nine months, Cuba has received only one shipment of crude oil from Russia, totaling about 100,000 tonnes.

On Thursday, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez said that renewable energy now accounts for more than one-fifth of the country’s electricity generation as it seeks to reduce the impact of U.S. fuel restrictions.

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In a post on X, Rodriguez said the Cuban government and Communist Party were responding to the U.S. energy blockade, which “aims to punish all Cubans,” with “greater sovereignty and measures” to ease the impact of U.S. sanctions.

Cuba now has 144 solar parks with a combined installed capacity of 1,418 megawatts, while renewable sources account for 21.4 percent of national electricity generation, he said.

The country also has 44 solar-powered electric vehicle charging stations and 64 public charging stations, he said, adding that all polyclinics, nursing homes, maternity homes and funeral homes have been equipped with renewable energy facilities.

🇨🇺 At the @UN, #Cuba condemned the U.S. blockade and energy siege as tools of economic coercion, hallmarks of a foreign policy that disregards multilateralism.

"We reaffirm our commitment to decolonization and the defense of our sovereignty and right to self-determination". pic.twitter.com/OA20PdV7Zl

— Southern Africa Eye (@eye_southern) October 16, 2026

In January, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order imposing sanctions and tariffs on countries and entities supplying fuel to Cuba, a move Havana has condemned as an “energy blockade.”

Over the past nine months, Cuba has received only one shipment of crude oil from Russia, totaling about 100,000 tonnes, only enough to meet the country’s demand for two weeks.

Cuba is scheduled to submit a resolution to the United Nations General Assembly on Oct. 29 for the 34th time, calling for an end to the U.S. economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed on the island for more than six decades.

According to Cuban government figures, the blockade has caused nearly 179 billion U.S. dollars in economic losses.

teleSUR/ JF

Source: Xinhua

He highlights the ethical and political responsibility governments bear to guarantee the inalienable human right to food.

On Monday, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel participated in the 2026 World Food Forum (WFF), organized by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Rome, Italy.

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During his address, he expanded on his denunciation of the ethical and political responsibility governments bear to guarantee the inalienable human right to food.

The Cuban leader warned that global problems such as armed conflicts, the climate crisis and economic turmoil disproportionately affect developing nations, where more than 640 million people suffer from extreme hunger.

Diaz-Canel emphasized that the challenges facing the Cuban nation are linked not only to global economic and environmental factors but also to the cumulative impact of more than six decades of the U.S. economic, commercial, and financial blockade.

He detailed how this policy of strangulation directly restricts the Cuban people’s access to international markets, advanced technologies, financing, agricultural inputs and fuels essential to sustaining the country’s agricultural sector.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva affirmed Cuba during the FAO conference, saying the island’s food crisis is not due to a lack of production.

“Cuba is going hungry because they [the U.S.] don’t want it to have access to the basics.” pic.twitter.com/519PcARBTt

— Belly of the Beast (@bellybeastcuba) March 7, 2026

The Revolution’s Structural Response to the Energy Blockade

The Cuban president strongly denounced the intensification of Washington’s aggression through the imposition of an energy blockade beginning in January.

This punitive measure affects the entire agri-food value chain, disrupting planting, food refrigeration, industrial processing, the transportation of supplies and distribution logistics intended to serve the population.

Nevertheless, Diaz-Canel asserted that, in the face of this systematic aggression, the Cuban people have transformed the challenge into an opportunity to accelerate profound structural changes.

Cuba’s strategy focuses on territorial decentralization, the promotion of scientific innovation, the transition to renewable energy in local food systems and the strengthening of domestic production to reduce dependence on external inputs, consolidating the country’s resilience under extraordinarily adverse conditions.

Live | FAO World Food Forum 2026 https://t.co/7kkZBg8ZFO

— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) October 12, 2026

Strategic Partnership with FAO and Castro’s Legacy

Diaz-Canel highlighted the support provided by the FAO, a multilateral organization that has mobilized nearly US$100 million in resources, technical assistance and training to strengthen Cuban key productive sectors.

In this context, Cuba announced its incorporation into the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty by presenting two projects with significant social impact designed to protect the most vulnerable sectors of the population.

Likewise, under the Hand-in-Hand Initiative, Cuba promoted two projects aimed at strengthening coffee and honey production chains, sectors of high strategic value for boosting rural employment, environmental sustainability, and export revenue.

As Cuba marks the centennial year of the birth of Commander Fidel Castro, Diaz-Canel reaffirmed that Castro’s longstanding advocacy for the right of peoples to a dignified life continues to guide Cuba’s social model.

He concluded by calling for the consolidation of a combative and solidarity-based multilateralism, stressing that food must be a collective right rather than a commodity subject to speculation or the political blackmail of imperialism.

teleSUR/ JF

Source: teleSUR