Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel accuses US of seeking control of Cuba

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel accused the United States of trying to gain control of Cuba through economic and political pressure during a speech in Pinar del Rio on Sunday, July 26, 2026.

Diaz-Canel described US policy towards Cuba as genocidal and said it was intended to suffocate the Cuban population so that Washington could appropriate the country.

He called the US embargo a weapon of war and said it had caused deaths. He also accused Washington of seeking to provoke social unrest in Cuba and other countries in order to install governments aligned with US interests.

The speech was delivered during events marking the 73rd anniversary of the July 26, 1953 attack on the Moncada barracks led by Fidel Castro, an event regarded by Cuba’s government as the beginning of the Cuban Revolution.

The United States has maintained an economic embargo against Cuba for decades. Under President Donald Trump, Washington has intensified pressure in recent months through sanctions and restrictions on oil supplies.

The pressure campaign followed the removal of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by US forces in January. Maduro’s government had been a close ally of Cuba and an important supplier of oil.

Cuba has experienced a sharp decline in tourism, the departure of foreign companies and reduced inflows of foreign currency.

The United States says Cuba poses a regional security threat because of its relationships with Russia and China and accuses the Cuban government of violating its citizens’ rights.

New US sanctions announced on Thursday targeted Cuba’s overseas medical missions programme, one of the government’s main sources of revenue.

Cuba is also facing a severe energy crisis. Power cuts affecting the island’s 9.4 million residents have sometimes lasted for around 30 hours in Havana and several days in provincial areas.

Diaz-Canel called for national unity and pointed to the implementation of economic and social changes.

Cuba’s government introduced major market-oriented economic reforms in June but has said its political system is not open to negotiation and has vowed to resist any military invasion.