Spain, Brazil and Mexico announced a joint pledge to increase humanitarian aid to Cuba, blaming an effective US blockade for a deepening crisis on the island. In a joint statement issued after a Barcelona summit, the three governments urged dialogue, warned against military intervention and insisted that the Cuban people must decide their own future.
The announcement came as Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez hosted Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum during a gathering of left-leaning leaders promoting multilateralism and democratic norms in the face of a rising far right.
The statement singled out recent US pressure on Cuba. President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened military action and imposed an oil blockade that officials say has contributed to nationwide blackouts and severe shortages. Trump also suggested the possibility of ‘taking’ Cuba after launching a war with Iran on February 28, a comment that drew sharp criticism from European progressives.
Sánchez, a vocal critic of Trump and of potential US military action in the region, said democracy cannot be taken for granted and condemned attacks on the multilateral system, international law and the normalization of force. He has previously angered the White House by refusing US use of Spanish bases for operations against Iran and opposing large increases in Spain’s military spending.
The Barcelona events drew other leaders and figures including South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Colombian President Gustavo Petro and Germany’s SPD leader and Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil. The meetings included the IV Meeting in Defense of Democracy and the inaugural Global Progressive Mobilization. Klingbeil warned activists that the far right operates internationally, and argued that progressives must organize across borders as well.
Sánchez denounced the global far right, saying its aggressive rhetoric reflects a failing vision marked by trade tensions, war, climate denial, xenophobia and sexism. Trump fired back on his Truth Social platform, criticizing Spain’s economic performance and its NATO contributions.
Sheinbaum’s trip to Spain, her first since taking office in October 2024, helped smooth relations strained since 2019, when Mexico urged Spain to apologize for abuses during colonial rule. Last month, King Felipe VI acknowledged there had been ‘a lot of abuse’ during Spain’s conquests, though Sheinbaum maintained there was never a full diplomatic crisis between the two countries.
Meanwhile, Venezuelan opposition figure María Corina Machado attended a right-wing rally in Madrid and declined an invitation to meet Sánchez. In Milan, thousands rallied with far-right leaders against irregular immigration and the EU, days after Hungarian populist Viktor Orbán was defeated by a pro-EU challenger.
Edited by Alex Berry