The Government of Cuba sent a request for urgent help to the Joe Biden Administration, after the Hurricane Ian crisisas he assures an article published this Saturday in The Wall Street Journal.
The newspaper claims to have had access to emails where the request is exposed, but does not specify whether it is a negotiation between representatives of both governments or internal communications of the US Administration, commenting on the alleged request from Havana.
According to the emails, Cuba has not requested a specific amount of money, so the US government is still evaluating the extent of the damage and has not received a formal request from the island.
In the event of aid, the US hopes that support for hospitals, the installation of water pumps, sanitation and other infrastructure in critical condition will be prioritized.
Neither the State Department nor the National Security Council, in the White House, offered statements to the newspaper on this subject. Neither did the Cuban government.
Neither the State Department nor the National Security Council, in the White House, offered statements to the newspaper on this subject. Neither did the Cuban government.
The Wall Street Journal notes that the alleged request occurs at a time when Cuba cannot turn to its ally, Russia, immersed in the war with Ukraine and subject to international economic sanctions. In addition, the Island is going through a crisis without precedent in recent decades, aggravated by the passage of the hurricane, which has triggered a new wave of social protests.
The newspaper adds that, although Biden has “slightly” improved the relationship between Washington and Havana, lifting the limit on remittances and allowing trips by US citizens to Cuba, the island continues to be considered by the US as a state that promotes terrorism. .
In addition, Washington has offered humanitarian aid to the Island on other occasions, which was rejected in all cases by Fidel Castro under the pretext of not accepting “handouts” from an enemy country. William LeoGrande, an expert on Cuban issues consulted by The Wall Street Journal, analyzes that the urgency of the request indicates Russia’s impossibility to financially support its allies in the Caribbean.
“If Cuba asks for humanitarian aid and the US provides it, that would be a significant advance,” LeoGrande maintains.
The Cuban authorities have not mentioned this possibility of help from Joe Biden. The official media approach the crisis with the customary triumphalism and have only exposed one channel of international aid: two accounts, in the International Financial Bank and the International Trade Bank, enabled for donations from abroad.
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