Cuba adjusts US diplomats: escalation of the tensions!

Cuba adjusts US diplomats: escalation of the tensions!

Havanna, Kuba - On May 31, 2025, the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs published a protest against the US mission director in Cuba, Michael Hammer. This explanation is seen as a sign of increasing tensions in the relationships between Cuba and the USA. Hammer has been accused of having shown "unfriendly and interfering behavior" since his arrival in Cuba at the end of 2024 to encourage the Cuban citizens into extreme criminal acts and against the authority.

The Cuban government emphasizes that Hammers diplomatic immunity cannot be used as an excuse to act against Cuba's sovereignty. These sharp words come from Alejandro Garcia del Toro, the director of bilateral affairs with the USA, and illustrate the tense relationships that have further tightened since Donald Trump's second term in January 2025. Since Trump's first term from 2017 from Barack Obama, the diplomatic relationships previously restored under a number of new sanctions and a tightening of the embargo have been burdened again.

historical context of relationships

Diplomatic relationships between Cuba and the USA have been shaped by tensions for decades, starting with the Cold War in the 1960s. According to the Cuban Revolution in 1959, the US government imposed far-reaching trade restrictions and supported unsuccessful attempts to deduct the communist government. The tensions culminated during the merchant blocks introduced in 1962 and the cub acid. Despite repeated attempts to normalize, such as under Obama, this process was strongly rolled back during Trump's presidency.

The return to diplomatic relationships began on December 17, 2014 when US President Barack Obama and Cuba's President Raul Castro announced an approach. This led to the reopening of the messages in 2015 and Cuba's deletion from the list of terrorism -supporting states. However, this progress was reversed by the Trump administration in 2017 when Cuba was put on the list again and the embargo was further tightened.

Current developments and reactions

In the past few months there have been signs that the Trump administration is planning to increase the pressure on the Cuban government. At the beginning of February 2025, the US government announced that they would withdraw visas for people who worked with the Cuban health system, which was seen by critics as an attempt to destabilize Cuba's health system. In addition, in April, the US government condemned the recovery of prominent dissidents such as Jose Daniel Ferrer, who had previously been released in an agreement with the Vatican.

Recently, Kuba was also classified as a "non -fully cooperative country" as part of the ARM Export Control Act, which firstly limits the possibility of buying weapons and defense resources from the USA. Hammer also indicated that new sanctions against Cuba could be imminent, which further fueled the fears of the Cuban government that the United States will continue to try to destabilize its leadership.

The complex history of relationships between Cuba and the USA shows a constant interaction between approaching and confrontation. In its current statement, the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs also criticized Hammer's visit to the grave of Cuban national hero Jose Marti, who was interpreted as supportive for Dissens. This event is just one of many examples of the deep tensions that still exist between the two countries.