Oil blockade: can Trump bring Cuba to its knees?
Cuba is experiencing an acute energy crisis after Donald Trump cut off all oil deliveries from Venezuela to the Caribbean island and threatened to impose tariffs on other countries such as Mexico if they continue to supply the island with fuel. Washington wants to force the socialist government in Havana to make concessions. Europe's media take stock.
The Venezuela tactic won't work here
LB.ua looks at what course the US might take with the regime in Havana:
“Washington's final plans remain unclear. It's possible that the US government expects that in the event of a total [oil] blockade, the island's leadership would sooner or later be forced to come round and agree to a gradual democratisation of the country. At the same time, it's unlikely that Washington will venture a military operation like that in Venezuela in the near future. The Cuban regime is a one-party dictatorship and not the personal rule of a single leader. Therefore, kidnapping Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel would not have the same effect as bringing Nicolás Maduro before a New York court.”
Kremlin won't pick a fight with Washington
Radio Kommersant FM considers it unlikely that Moscow will stand by its old ally:
“Firstly, it would be completely illogical to quarrel with Trump. He may not be entirely on our side, but he still offers certain prospects, although this issue is clearly controversial. Secondly, the Western Hemisphere is officially recognised as a zone of national interest for the United States. This means that it would be a double or triple dispute with Trump. Thirdly, what for? Times have changed. The 'fiery' Comandante Fidel Castro is no longer with us, nor is Ernesto Che Guevara. Revolutionary romanticism may still be in vogue, but whether this is our path today is more than questionable.”
Europe must act as a counterweight
It's not only Cuba that needs to be defended, stresses Cathy dos Santos, editor-in-chief of L'Humanité:
“This war of attrition is not just an affront to the Cuban people. The retroactive and extraterritorial sanctions aimed at deterring foreign investors from doing business with Havana are illegal. France and the EU, whose companies have often had to pay staggering fines, have tools such as the Anti-Coercion Instrument at their disposal to ward off attacks by the Oval Office. This is about respect for the sovereignty of the Cuban people and, beyond that, the right of nations to freely determine their own destiny. This is also reaffirmed by the majority resolutions of the UN, which year after year call for the lifting of this criminal blockade.”