After failing in the Middle East and confronting China, American imperialism is intensifying its threats against Cuba.

On May 1, 2026, amid the indifference of Western governments, including France, Donald Trump further exacerbated the pressure Cuba had been facing since January 3 by issuing an ultimatum to all foreign companies and banks operating in the country. These entities were ordered to leave Cuba or face the freezing of their financial operations, a ban on accessing the U.S. market, and astronomical sanctions.

The effect of these measures was devastating: on May 7, the Canadian company Sherritt, a key player in the nickel sector (the country’s second most important resource after tourism), announced its departure from Cuba and the repatriation of all its employees. On May 18, the French shipping company CMA-CGM and the German firm Hapag-Lloyd announced the suspension of their container shipments to Cuba. Companies closed one after another, leaving hundreds of employees without work and an entire society on the brink of collapse.

Added to this is the indictment against Raúl Castro regarding the Cuban Defense’s response to the illegal incursion of two Cessna aircraft into the island’s airspace more than 30 years ago, during a destabilization operation coordinated by the Florida-based counter-revolutionary paramilitary organization "Brothers to the Rescue."

It seems evident that such accusations serve the sole purpose of justifying the unjustifiable, paving the way for a direct military intervention in Cuba. The CIA director’s visit to Havana last week only serves this objective.

The total blockade imposed on Cuba has repeatedly caused widespread blackouts. According to the UN, more than 110,000 surgical procedures, including 11,000 pediatric ones, have had to be postponed. In other words, in addition to sowing despair, the blockade is causing deaths!

Furthermore, some 400,000 children and an entire society now face the risk of disrupted classes due to the lack of electricity to supply schools and the country’s 240 boarding schools.

The actions of the United States could have very serious consequences for the entire region. According to the former director of the CIA, the collapse of Cuba would trigger a true crisis for the United States. And with good reason! Cuba’s stability is fundamental to combating the proliferation of drug trafficking and human trafficking networks throughout the Caribbean.

Today, U.S. threats have global repercussions. They affect our sovereignty by depriving French and European companies of their right to trade freely with the partners of their choice. Legal mechanisms exist to bypass these extraterritorial measures, both at the European and national levels: the European anti-coercion regulations, the so-called Sapin 2 Law—aimed at strengthening anti-corruption measures, particularly to halt extraterritorial lawsuits—and the Blocking Statute of 1968. What are we waiting for to implement them?

Who can believe that Donald Trump will stop there? What are France and Europe waiting for to react to the imminent massacre? How much longer will we allow the United States to trample on international law without taking the necessary measures? The threats of American imperialism also extend to French possessions in the Caribbean and French Guiana.

It is necessary to reinforce international support for Cuba. The May Day demonstration gathered a large number of protesters, not only in front of the U.S. Embassy in Havana, but also in marches throughout France and the rest of the world. In Havana, more than 500,000 people and numerous foreign delegations, including that of the CGT (General Confederation of Labor), took to the streets in solidarity with Cuba.

The French Communist Party reiterates once again its total solidarity with the people, the government, and the Communist Party of Cuba against the criminal and illegal policy imposed by the United States.

Once again, it calls upon the French government: let us not wait until it is too late to react! The deputies of the GDR group will present a resolution to the National Assembly on June 11, calling on France to condemn the blockade and to act, in coordination with the United Nations, to help Cuba.

In the coming weeks and months, we will continue to mobilize to send medical supplies and essential goods to Cuba, and urge French cities and authorities to denounce the blockade and to act to promote peace and cooperation among peoples. To turn one's back on Cuba is to turn one's back on all of humanity; for our part, we refuse to be complicit in the crimes committed by the United States.

Paris, May 21, 2026

French Communist Party

Translated by Sergio A. Paneque Díaz / CubaSí Translation Staff