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(Bloomberg) — Chile’s outgoing government will give humanitarian aid to Cuba, the nation’s top diplomat said Thursday, days after Mexico sent two ships filled with tons of food to the struggling communist-run island.
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The South American country will provide monetary assistance through multilateral organizations, Foreign Affairs Minister Alberto van Klaveren told reporters. When asked if the Chilean administration is concerned about any retaliation from Donald Trump — whose administration has pressured nations to cease oil shipments to Cuba — he replied that “the US won’t object to humanitarian aid.”
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Chile is motivated to act “by a humanitarian crisis that has been ongoing for quite some time,” van Klaveren said. “We all know that there is a very complex situation in Cuba, that there is a population suffering from hunger and that there are also constant power outages.”
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Chile’s decision is a bold statement as leftist President Gabriel Boric prepares to leave office in March. Trump has threatened to sanction countries that send fuel to Cuba as he ramps up economic pressure on Havana. While Mexico halted oil shipments to the island, it sent two navy ships with over 800 tons of staples such as beans and rice, which arrived Thursday.
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The long-running economic crisis in Cuba has become a near-existential struggle since the US captured Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro, an ally who provided a lifeline through oil shipments. Trump, who vehemently opposes the island’s regime, later warned “Cuba will be failing pretty soon.”
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Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum reiterated her offer to mediate between Washington and Havana on Thursday, amid growing tensions and a deteriorating situation on the island. She added that her government will send another shipment of humanitarian aid to Cuba in coming days.
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Boric’s governing coalition includes Chile’s century-old Communist Party, whose senior leaders have close ties to Havana. Still, Boric himself described Cuba as “a dictatorship” in a local television interview last month.
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On March 11, ultra-conservative José Antonio Kast will take office as president, likely heralding a significant shift in Chile’s foreign affairs policies.
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Separately, Canada changed its travel guidance on Cuba late Wednesday. The government is now urging its citizens to avoid all non-essential travel to the island, citing shortages of food, fuel and other basic necessities.
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UK authorities are also advising against all but essential travel to the island.
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