In a major push for regional solidarity, Ralph Gonsalves has called on the six OECS countries to coordinate a $1.2 million Canadian dollar (CAD) aid package to assist Cuba as it grapples with a dire humanitarian and energy crisis.
Gonsalves proposed that each of the six independent OECS nations contribute at least $200,000 CAD to reach the collective $1.2 million goal. To ensure the funds reach the Cuban government despite existing financial restrictions, he suggested the monies be funneled through relevant Canadian banking channels to bypass the “criminal” sanctions imposed by the United States.
He further urged the government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines to take immediate domestic action by instructing the CEO of the ECGC to organize a shipment of rice to be sent directly to Cuba.
Beyond direct government-to-government aid, Gonsalves recommended that regional governments provide one-year interest-free loans—or even grants—to support Cuban diplomatic missions operating within their borders.
He noted that these missions are currently under immense pressure to cover basic operational costs, including office rent, staff salaries, vehicle maintenance, and food for ambassadors and their families. “We should take that pressure off the Cuban government,” Gonsalves stated, suggesting this move could set a global precedent for supporting the island nation.
Gonsalves characterized the tightened U.S. blockade as a “war crime” and “wicked,” arguing it is designed to starve a nation into submission. He highlighted the “elemental humanity” at stake, reporting that children and hospital patients are dying due to a lack of medicine and electricity.
The sources reveal that Cuba has been without significant fuel imports for four months, causing the national electricity grid to break down. Consequently, the country is currently plunged into darkness for up to three-quarters of every day. Gonsalves emphasized that while Cuba provides less than 40% of its own fuel internally, the American government is using “every form of pressure” to prevent external deliveries.
While acknowledging that the Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines recently denounced the blockade at the CELAC summit in Colombia, Gonsalves argued that “routine denunciation” is no longer enough. He called for CARICOM to follow up on previous high-level meetings and engage with the interim leadership in Venezuela to resume oil shipments to Cuba.
Additionally, he made a direct plea to U.S. President Donald Trump to “remove this bondage,” asserting that the majority of American citizens and the international community at the United Nations are opposed to the ongoing embargo. “You can’t declare economic war on a nation to starve them into submission,” Gonsalves concluded, “It is wrong in international law”.