Kaya Kalas warns that Cuba is at a critical juncture, calling for an end to the isolation and control of Cuban oil amid increasing pressure from US.
At a time of intense geopolitical friction and escalating diplomatic pressure around the Caribbean, the European diplomatic chief Kaya Kalas intervenes publicly on the situation in Cuba, highlighting the need for an immediate review of the international approach to the country, at a time when economic suffocation, energy deficits and a prolonged embargo are creating an explosive social and political backdrop, with EU to advocate a more open and less isolationist strategy towards Havana.
European diplomacy head Kaya Kalas today called for an end to the “control” and “isolation” of the Cuban people, who are suffering a deep economic crisis and are under increasing pressure from the US.
Real turning point
“After decades of mismanagement and political repression, the economic crisis in Cuba is reaching a real turning point. The Cuban people deserve opportunities and freedom, no longer control and isolation,” the European official said during a press conference in Mexico City on the occasion of the EU-Mexico Summit.
Today, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned Cuba that the United States is “determined” to impose change on the communist island on the day after the indictment of former President Raul Castro.
“Their economic system is not working. It’s flawed and we can’t fix it with the existing political system,” Rubio told reporters from his hometown of Miami.
Tension
Tension has escalated between Washington and Havana.
In addition to the U.S. embargo in place since 1962, Washington has imposed a complete oil blockade on the island since January, resulting in endless power outages.
Callas is in Mexico with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen for the signing of an updated trade agreement between the European Union and Mexico.
In January 2025, the EU and Mexico concluded negotiations to upgrade their trade agreement, which calls for the elimination of almost all existing tariffs on imports from the EU and the facilitation of imports from Mexico.
