Madrid/The announcement of US Government aid to Cuba worth six million dollars has once again gone down badly with the regime. The reaction is similar to what it already had when last October the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, promised a donation of three million to the population after the passage of Hurricane Melissa through the east and which has been arriving in four batches managed by Cáritas. The difference is, in this case, the context.
“It is quite hypocritical to apply draconian coercive measures that deny basic economic conditions to millions of people and then advertise soup and cans for a few,” lament through his X account the vice chancellor, Carlos Fernández de Cossío, after an intense week of work in which he has been the main face of the Cuban response to the decision to block the international sale of oil to the Island under threat of tariffs. His boss, Bruno Rodríguez, has been in charge, for his part, of seeking support among his allies – first Vietnam and now China–, at least nominally.
The number two of Foreign Affairs has not been alone. Former spy Gerardo Hernández Nordelo, current coordinator of the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution (CDR), has also activated the ideological response and shared the news accompanied by his message. “‘I’m going to hit your foot with a tangerine and then I’ll give you a band-aid for any of your busted toes…’ Hypocrites!” he wrote on the same social network. The deputy included in the post several of the usual hashtags of the ruling party, such as #TumbaElBloqueo or #CubaVencerá.
“‘I’m going to hit your foot with a tangerine and then I’ll give you a Band-Aid for any of your busted toes…’ Hypocrites!”
In recent days, the two governments have stuck to their positions, which include the controversy over a possible dialogue, stated several times by Donald Trump himself and denied many times by the highest Cuban authorities, who limit the conversations to the usual topics: migration, drug trafficking and borders.
This same Thursday, after an appearance by Miguel Díaz-Canel in which the president limited himself to preparing the population for the difficult measures that his Government will announce next week, as well as to regret the attitude of Donald Trump’s Administration and point out the international support of his partners, the White House insisted again. “President Trump always has a willingness to bet on diplomacy and I think that is something that, in fact, is already taking place with the Cuban Government,” said the spokesperson, Karoline Leavitt, who added a warning by urging the regime to be “prudent” in its messages.
Information, rumors and theories emerge amid the lack of transparency. While the Spanish newspaper ABC points out – citing sources in Mexico – that the negotiation exists and meets with General Alejandro Castro Espínson of Raúl Castro, as a mediator who tries to negotiate that Castroism continues in exchange for economic concessions. The same medium points out this friday that the United States has absolutely ruled out granting immunity to some of the regime’s senior officials.
The comings and goings of planes and ships to, from and over Cuban territory are more than a given. The night has been intense for those who remain attentive to flight radar applications, after it was detected for the first time that the military plane Boeing P-8 Poseidonwhich belongs to the United States Navy fleet, flying in circles very close to the Cuban coast, north of Havana.
The night has been intense for those who remain attentive to flight radar applications, after it was detected for the first time that the ‘Boeing P-8 Poseidon’ military plane
The aircraft, developed by Boeing Integrated Defense Systems from the Boeing 737-800 for the United States Navy, is prepared – as described – to carry out anti-submarine warfare missions, ship interception, and provide electronic intelligence (ELINT). This includes torpedo loads, depth charges, AGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missiles, and other weapons. In addition, it is also capable of launching and monitoring sonobuoys and is designed to operate in conjunction with the Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton unmanned aerial vehicle.
It is the second time this week that a plane has upset the most informed Cubans. On the 1st, the Russian Ilyushin IL-76 military plane landed in the capital, attracting attention in the American media. Washington maintains sanctions on this device, operated by the state-owned Aviacon Zitotrans, for being involved in the transport of military material, supporting the Russian defense sector and facilitating the deployment of mercenaries from the Wagner Group. Fox News even warned that the same ship carried out a flight pattern similar to the current one shortly before the capture of Nicolás Maduro, but Russia has stated that the movement is absolutely logical and normal, since there is a military cooperation agreement with Cuba – as it had with Venezuela, without ultimately serving for its defense.
Regarding the sea route, Reuters reported this Thursday of the cargo of an oil tanker that since April 2025 was transporting fuel from Venezuela to Cuba. The tanker has been filled with 150,000 barrels of gasoline and the British agency, which warns that it cannot confirm the final destination of the ship, interprets it as a “possible sign that the country could be preparing to send supplies to the Island under the supervision of the United States.”
