United Nations, Jan 5 (Prensa Latina) Cuba today rejected unfounded accusations made by the United States delegation during an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on Venezuela.

Cuba’s permanent representative to the UN, Ernesto Soberón, said that his delegation was forced to speak a second time to respond to those accusations.

“It is outrageous,” he emphasized, “that those who have perpetrated unilateral aggressions and systematic violations of International Law seek to act as judges of other sovereign states, which is an absolutely immoral, disrespectful, and irresponsible attitude.”

“We categorically reject the slanderous claims that Cuba has an intelligence presence in Venezuela. Such accusations lack any factual basis and constitute a clear attempt to divert attention from the aggressive and criminal conduct of the United States in the region,” the diplomat added.

Cuba strictly respects the sovereignty, independence and inalienable right of the Venezuelan people to decide their own destiny, as established by the Charter of the United Nations, he said.

Soberón recalled that cooperation between Cuba and Venezuela in multiple spheres, including the military, has legitimate bases and is supported by bilateral agreements signed sovereignly by both parties.

The diplomat reiterated that, as declared by the Revolutionary Government, the 32 fallen combatants, victims of a criminal act of aggression and state terrorism perpetrated by the United States, were carrying out missions representing the Revolutionary Armed Forces and the Ministry of the Interior at the request of Venezuelan counterpart bodies.

“These patriots, through their heroic actions, embodied the solidarity of millions of Cubans,” Soberón emphasized, adding that “this delegation (from the United States) is disrespectfully attempting to label Cuba as an interventionist in Venezuela, which we categorically reject,” the Permanent Representative to the UN concluded.

ode/dfm

​January 2, 2026 — Belly of the Beast

It’s been a rough year for Cuba. Rather, a rough few years. And with Donald Trump in the White House and Marco Rubio calling the shots on U.S. foreign policy, there’s little reason to believe things will improve anytime soon.

“Maximum pressure” sanctions imposed during the first Trump administration have resulted in an all-encompassing crisis. Medicine is scarce, rolling blackouts and long lines at gas stations are the norm and inflation has put basic necessities out of the reach of many Cubans.

But even in the face of all this, Cuba remains home to extraordinary people who persist in building a future for themselves, their loved ones and their country as a whole.

We’ve reported on this resilience throughout 2025.

When Hurricane Melissa destroyed parts of eastern Cuba, neighbors rallied around each other in its aftermath and solidarity initiatives poured in from across the island.

​Cuban doctors and scientists continue to do all they can to save lives, farmers find innovative ways to feed their communities, entrepreneurs strive to grow their businesses and activists band together to protect stray animals. We’ve witnessed Cubans time and time again face overwhelming challenges with a deep sense of humanity — and that humanity is at the heart of our work.

So what are Cubans hoping for in 2026?

Watch our latest video in which Belly of the Beast journalist Liz Oliva Fernández asks Cubans how they’re feeling about the year ahead.

December 29, 2025 — Belly of the Beast

Trump-Biden Sanctions Damage Cuban Health

This year we produced Health Under Sanction, a 25-minute documentary for Al Jazeera about the impact of U.S. sanctions on Cuba’s public healthcare. With exclusive access to Cuban hospitals, the film follows the patients feeling the brunt of the U.S. government’s economic war on Cuba — and the doctors fighting to keep them alive.

Also, we released a video report this month looking at how a mosquito-borne epidemic has strained Cuba’s once vaunted healthcare system in part due to the impact of U.S. sanctions.

Farm-Level Takeaway: Cuba remains a small but dependable, cash-only outlet for U.S. grain and food products.

NASHVILLE, TENN. (RFD-TV) — U.S. agricultural and food exports to Cuba continue to grow under long-standing trade law, reaching a cumulative milestone of more than $8 billion since shipments resumed in late 2001. Recent data show that trade is accelerating modestly, even without changes to U.S. sanctions or financing rules.

Exports of U.S. ag and food products to Cuba totaled nearly $34 million in September 2025, up almost 9 percent from a year earlier. For the first nine months of 2025, shipments reached about $359 million, roughly 18 percent higher year over year, placing Cuba among the top 50 U.S. ag export destinations worldwide.

Trade is governed primarily by the Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act of 2000, which allows direct commercial exports of food and agricultural commodities on a cash-only basis. That structure limits volume growth while making Cuba a reliable buyer with minimal credit risk. Historically, products have included poultry, feed grains, wheat, rice, soy products, and processed foods, with shipments to Cuba’s re-emerging private sector.

Despite political constraints, proximity to U.S. ports and consistent food demand continue to support steady trade.

Farm-Level Takeaway: Cuba remains a small but dependable, cash-only outlet for U.S. grain and food products.

Tony St. James, RFD-TV Markets Specialist

December 24, 2025 — (Cubaminrex-PL)

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum highlighted today the historical relationship between her country and Cuba and emphasized that agreements with the island in the energy sector are conducted within a legal framework.

“The Mexico-Cuba relationship is historical. Mexico was the only country that opposed the blockade (imposed by the United States) from the very beginning. Therefore, regardless of the political party, there has always been a Mexico-Cuba relationship,” she emphasized.

Sheinbaum was responding to a question regarding oil shipments to the island nation, which has been under an economic, commercial, and financial siege imposed by Washington for over 60 years—a policy experts consider the main obstacle to Cuba’s development.

Mentioning energy cooperation and the decades of visits by Cuban leaders to Mexico and vice versa, regardless of the political affiliation of the North American nation’s leaders, the head of the executive branch stressed that ties with the Caribbean country are not new.

“It is not a new situation, and everything is done within the framework of the law and also for humanitarian reasons for the people of Cuba,” she stated, reiterating Mexico’s sovereignty and noting that this continues a series of supports historically provided by her nation to the island.

Last Thursday, Sheinbaum affirmed that Mexico’s position regarding Cuba will remain, *”as it has been maintained since (former President Adolfo) López Mateos (1958-1964).”

The dignitary pointed out that this has been a permanent topic in Mexico-U.S. relations since the triumph of the Cuban Revolution in 1959 and noted that the link with the island “has always been a point of difference” between the administrations of the two neighboring countries.

“Therefore, it should not influence Mexico-U.S. relations. And our position is sovereign, it is a sovereign decision, and it has much to do with the humanitarianism we represent. People should not have to suffer,” she said in relation to the blockade.

According to the most recent data, the U.S. siege against the Caribbean nation caused estimated damages of $7,556.1 million between March 2024 and last February, a 49 percent increase compared to the previous period.

In the health sector alone, this policy resulted in losses of nearly $300 million in one year, while the impact in the energy sector exceeded $496 million due to restrictions on importing fuel and spare parts.

On October 29 of this year, Cuba achieved another victory at the United Nations General Assembly, obtaining 165 votes in favor of the resolution calling for an end to this blockade.

(Cubaminrex-PL)

December 22, 2025 — By Xinhua

MEXICO CITY — Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum on Monday said that shipping Mexican oil to Cuba was carried out in accordance with the principles of sovereignty and humanitarianism.

The energy and financial collaboration between the two countries is transparent and legitimate, and deeply rooted in their bilateral history, she stressed during a morning press conference.

The Mexican president made the remarks despite repeated criticism from the US government, which has asked Mexico to reconsider its relationship with Cuba.

“First, we are doing this within a legal framework as a sovereign country, and second, we are continuing a series of support measures that our country has historically provided Cuba,” she said.

Sheinbaum added that she asked state-owned oil company Petroleos Mexicanos to submit a report on oil shipments to the Caribbean nation during her administration, noting the measure is lawful and conforms to the “humanitarian” principles that guide her government’s policies.

The oil agreements between Mexico and Cuba date back decades and have endured despite changes in the Mexican government, she said.