Cuba says US decided to ‘undermine and destroy’ international law

Yasin Gungor

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla said Wednesday that Washington has abandoned international legal pillars to pursue a strategy of economic suffocation against his island.

“The US government has decided to undermine and destroy international law, the Charter of the United Nations, and the pillars that emerged from the World War II and which, for more than 80 years, have guided relations between states,” Rodriguez told the National Assembly. He argued that the principle of sovereign equality between nations is being dismantled by a “ruthless and relentless war” led by the present US administration.

The foreign minister detailed a “total energy blockade, which has been in effect since January of this year,” designed to block the import of fuel and technology for electricity generation. Rodriguez asserted that the measures prevent the acquisition of essential parts, including solar panels. He accused the US of taking joy in “the agony and suffering of a mother who loses a child due to lack of medical supplies.”

‘Peace through force’ doctrine

Rodriguez criticized the American foreign policy framework, labeling it an “unusual doctrine they title ‘peace through force.’” He compared its logic to the “conquest, extermination and occupation” tactics of former colonial empires, suggesting the designs are reminiscent of those that motivated the reconfiguration of Europe in the early 20th century.

He dismissed a recent US report on Cuba as “mendacious and inconsistent,” noting it appeared to be “commissioned from a poorly used Artificial Intelligence application.” The US recently accused Cuba of conducting a decades-long espionage campaign, claiming Havana had successfully infiltrated the highest levels of the US government.

Regarding military sovereignty, the foreign minister maintained a defiant stance. While expressing an “aspiration to the eventual possibility of a respectful and constructive relationship,” he issued a clear warning concerning national protection. “We have the supreme right and duty to defend ourselves, even with arms, if we are militarily attacked,” Rodriguez noted.

Havana’s top diplomat anchored his remarks in the history of the Cuban Revolution, referencing Fidel Castro’s description of economic blockades as “silent atomic bombs” that kill indiscriminately.

Bilateral relations have entered a confrontational phase under US President Donald Trump, whose administration has made regime change an explicit objective. Washington has utilized an oil blockade and sweeping sanctions to pressure Havana, leading to months of rolling blackouts and an unstable power grid.