AI Brief
- US sanctions imposed in 2026 have triggered a severe economic crisis in Cuba, leading to soaring inflation and widespread shortages of essential goods.
- Cubans are experiencing over 25 percent annual inflation, frequent power cuts, and limited access to cooking fuel, medicines, and crucial services.
- The Cuban government has introduced reforms to attract foreign investment, while authorities condemn US policies as collective punishment at the United Nations.
US sanctions have pushed Cuba into a profound economic crisis, triggering soaring inflation and a severe energy shortage, but some Cubans insist their resilience will keep the country moving forward.
The U.S. sanctions imposed on Cuba in 2026, especially the severe escalation over the past several months, have proven catastrophic. Food prices keep rising due to skyrocketing inflation, which climbed above 25 percent year on year in August. Meanwhile, Cubans face shortages of cooking gas, medicines, and crucial services.
Orlando Ruiz, a columnist with the Cuban News Agency (CAN), said the sanctions have severely affected daily life.
"Cooking our meals has become a terrible problem, no cooking fuel, no power. So, I have turned into a woodcutter to get firewood. And at times, over 20-hour power cuts, plus unstable internet connection hinder my remote journalistic work," said Ruiz, a senior photojournalist.
Yet, he said, the hardships inflicted by tough U.S. sanctions have not yet broken the Cuban people's resistance. Cubans have shown strong resilience and developed creative ways to survive. Orlando has set up a firewood stove in his backyard to cook. His family also grows vegetables at home to supplement their diets.
In June, the Cuban government passed a package of reforms encouraging foreign investment and expanding the private sector to help lift the country out of its current crisis. Orlando hopes Cuba's economic and social conditions will improve.
"The country keeps going forward. Over the years, the Cuban revolution has always overcome the worst adversities, the U.S. blockade, and aggressions. I'm fully convinced that our people's resilience will take the country forward," Ruiz said.
Cuban authorities have condemned U.S. policies, describing them as a collective punishment against the Cuban people. Officials in the country say they expect such cruelty to be roundly condemned by the international community later this month at the United Nations General Assembly.
