Chile sends aid to Cuba as Boric condemns US embargo

Friday 13 - 14:00

By: Dakir Madiha

Chile sends aid to Cuba as Boric condemns US embargo

Chile’s government announced Thursday that it will deliver humanitarian assistance to Cuba as the Caribbean nation grapples with a worsening energy and economic crisis. The move came as Russia confirmed plans to ship oil and refined petroleum products to Havana in what it described as humanitarian support.

Foreign Minister Alberto van Klaveren said at the presidential palace of La Moneda on February 12 that the aid would be financed through Chile’s Fund Against Hunger and Poverty and distributed via United Nations agencies, particularly UNICEF, to assist the Cuban population. President Gabriel Boric later endorsed the initiative in a message on X, calling the longstanding United States embargo against Cuba “criminal” and a violation of the human rights of an entire people.

In Havana, the Russian embassy told the outlet Izvestia that a shipment of crude oil and fuel is expected in the near future, though it did not disclose volumes. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Moscow is engaged in active discussions on how best to support what he described as a friendly nation facing a US blockade.

Peskov expressed hope that outstanding issues could be addressed through constructive dialogue with the United States and said Russia does not want its assistance to trigger additional American tariffs. He noted, however, that current trade between Russia and the United States stands at zero. He declined to elaborate further, citing unspecified constraints.

The announcements followed Mexico’s dispatch of two naval vessels carrying more than 814 tonnes of humanitarian supplies that arrived in Cuba on Thursday. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum pledged to send an additional 1,500 tonnes of powdered milk and beans in the coming days as diplomatic efforts continue to restore oil supplies to the island.

Cuba’s fuel shortages deepened after President Donald Trump signed an executive order on January 29 threatening tariffs on countries that provide oil to the island. The strain intensified earlier in the month when a US military operation in Venezuela on January 3 removed President Nicolás Maduro from power, disrupting Venezuelan oil shipments to Cuba.

Havana has introduced emergency rationing measures, and several international airlines, including Air Canada, have suspended flights after authorities warned they could not guarantee aircraft refueling.

Chile’s decision has drawn criticism from the opposition Republican Party. Its leader, Arturo Squella, argued that the government should instead back international initiatives aimed at political change in Cuba. The debate unfolds in the final months of Boric’s presidency, with President-elect José Antonio Kast set to assume office in March.