Díaz-Canel Downplays Cuba's Crisis: "We Are Not on the Brink of Collapse"

Miguel Díaz-Canel has dismissed claims that Cuba is teetering on the edge of collapse, despite acknowledging a situation he himself described as "entirely complex" during a lengthy interview with the Brazilian newspaper Folha de São Paulo.

When directly asked by journalist Mônica Bergamo, the Cuban leader replied, "No, we are not on the brink of a collapse. We are in a complex situation, but with an enormous creativity that complements the heroic capacity of the Cuban people to resist. Alternatives are being sought, and there is a comprehensive struggle to overcome these adversities with our own efforts and talents."

To support his argument, Díaz-Canel resorted to rhetorical and utterly ludicrous phrases: "There are blackouts, but no blackout has extinguished the hope of the Cuban people. There are shortages, but no shortage has fractured our ability to grow."

He added, "Without electricity, every day our doctors and nurses continue to save lives," and highlighted that teachers completed the school year by graduating over 30,000 university students, including young people from more than 62 countries, such as a group of Palestinians and five American doctors.

Contradicting Optimism with Stark Realities

At the same time, he provided data that contradicts his official optimism. He admitted that over the past seven months, only one oil tanker arrived in Cuba—a Russian humanitarian aid shipment of 100,000 tons of crude—when the country requires seven fuel tankers each month. He blamed this situation on the policies of the Trump administration.

As a result, according to the leader himself, there are power outages lasting more than 20, 30, and even up to 40 hours daily, along with complete system disconnections that take days to resolve.

He mentioned that Cuba had recovered 1,400 megawatts of distributed generation using diesel and fuel but could not utilize them due to lack of supplies; had these been used, blackouts would have been reduced to about three hours daily.

Dire Health Crisis Amidst a National Struggle

The healthcare crisis he outlined is equally severe: over 64,000 children have outdated immunization schedules, more than 34,000 pregnant women cannot receive ultrasounds, and infant mortality has doubled. There are over 98,000 patients awaiting surgeries, more than 117,000 cancer patients without primary oncology treatments, and the country can only cover 30% of the essential medication list.

Díaz-Canel labeled all of this as "genocide."

Internal and External Blockades: A Point of Contention

One of the interview's most tense moments arose when Bergamo relayed a sentiment frequently heard among the Cuban population: "there is an internal blockade." The president did not deny the existence of bureaucracy and governmental delays but downplayed their significance.

"When people refer to an internal blockade, they are speaking of dissatisfactions with certain bureaucratic elements and our slow response in some government actions, of which we have been the main critics and self-critics," he stated. He insisted that "the main cause of the situation Cuba is experiencing is the external blockade."

This stance contrasts with his own words in June, where he admitted that "there are obstacles that do not come from outside or from the blockade."

The Reality on the Ground: Poverty and Disapproval

In contrast to the regime's optimism, the IX Report of the Cuban Observatory for Human Rights, published this month, reveals that 94% of Cubans live in extreme poverty, and 95% disapprove of the government's economic and social management, according to 1,318 interviews conducted in 79 municipalities.

When asked how long Cuba can endure without an agreement with Washington, Díaz-Canel was unequivocal: "We have no other choice but to resist. We must resist."