Cuba’s President, Miguel Díaz-Canel has criticised latest US sanctions on state-owned fuel company Cuba Petróleo (CUPET).

CUPET was added on Thursday to the list of companies and individuals sanctioned by the United States as part of an oil blockade aimed at exerting maximum pressure on the island.

“Imperial perversity knows no bounds. After banning any country that attempts to supply fuel to #Cuba from doing so, they are now targeting CUPET to further tighten the oil blockade, imposing new threats on those who trade with the Cuban company.

“We are witnessing the resurgence of fascism in its purest form.”
Miguel Díaz-Canel

In a statement today, CUPET said that the sanctions “seek to directly affect the normal conduct of our operations and strike a blow against a strategic sector of the country.”

Cuban President Announces Economic Reforms

Moreover, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel on Friday announced a package of economic reforms aimed at attracting investment, expanding participation by Cubans living abroad in the economy and decentralizing parts of the country’s administration.

Díaz-Canel said, according to a statement from the presidency that was republished by state-run media, “Every opportunity in the midst of a crisis must be seized as a moment for takeoff, as a moment for growth.”

The President did not provide details during remarks to state media. The reforms come amid heightened tensions in U.S.-Cuba relations.

The U.S. has pressed for economic reforms since launching a blockade that has deprived Cuba of fuel since February.

More to come…