The Digester

Cuban exiles in Germany say US oil restrictions and President Trump’s threats have intensified Cuba’s worst economic crisis in decades, leaving relatives stranded, splitting opinion on US pressure, and heightening fears of repression.

A US oil blockade imposed in February 2026 has worsened power outages and shortages of food, water and medicine in Cuba.
President Donald Trump has publicly said he expects to take Cuba in some form, raising fears of intervention among exiles and calls for change.
Germany says US-Cuba talks are the right way to defuse tensions and continues to recognize Cuba as a sovereign state while keeping modest trade and academic ties.
Human rights groups estimate about 1,200 political prisoners are held in Cuba.
Luis Frometa Compte was sentenced in 2021 to 15 years for filming protests, released in March 2025 but still denied permission to leave Cuba, a situation mirrored by many Cuban-German families with relatives on the island.

Cuban Germans split between hope and fear as US pressure deepens Cuban crisis

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