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PoliticsCuba

US sanctions, silent allies: Where have Cuba's friends gone?

Laura Ruiz Trullols
March 26, 2026

Cuba has plunged into a crisis as the US oil blockade cuts supplies and former allies step back. With Venezuela gone and support fading, DW looks at Cuba's growing isolation in Latin America.

https://p.dw.com/p/5B9Qi

Cuba is facing one of its worst crises in decades.

After the United States under President Donald Trump imposed a near‑total oil blockade on the island and warned of tariffs on any country willing to supply fuel, Cuba's long‑standing alliances in Latin America have begun to crumble.

With Venezuela's President Maduro removed and its oil shipments also cut off, the island has plunged deeper into blackouts, shortages and a growing humanitarian emergency.

Why are Cuba's traditional left‑wing allies staying silent? And how is Washington's pressure reshaping diplomacy across the region?

DW speaks with Christopher Sabatini, Senior Research Fellow for Latin America at Chatham House, to understand why Mexico, Brazil and Colombia are keeping their distance and what Cuba’s future could look like as it becomes increasingly isolated.