HAVANA, Cuba — Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel on Sunday accused the United States of escalating pressure on Cuba through what he called a “genocidal policy,” saying Washington is seeking to weaken the island and force political change.
Speaking during ceremonies marking the 73rd anniversary of the 1953 attack on the Moncada Barracks, Díaz-Canel said decades of U.S. sanctions, combined with additional measures imposed in recent months, have intensified Cuba’s economic crisis.
The latest U.S. sanctions, announced Thursday, target Cuba’s overseas medical missions program, one of the country’s primary sources of foreign revenue.
“Cuba is today waging a historic battle … against the walls of a genocidal policy whose objective is to suffocate an entire people in order to appropriate the country,” Díaz-Canel said during an event in Pinar del Río province.
The United States has long maintained an economic embargo on Cuba and says the country, a close ally of Russia and China, poses a regional security concern and has committed human rights violations.
Díaz-Canel described the U.S. embargo as “a weapon of war,” saying it has contributed to severe economic hardship and was intended to trigger social unrest and install a government aligned with U.S. interests.
Cuba has faced worsening fuel shortages, declining tourism, reduced foreign investment and a shortage of foreign currency. The country has also experienced repeated nationwide power outages, with some lasting more than a day in Havana and several days in other provinces.
Calling for national unity, Díaz-Canel said the government would continue implementing economic and social reforms while maintaining Cuba’s political system. He reiterated the government’s position that its political model is not open to negotiation and pledged to resist any military intervention.