The Trump administration announced an additional shipment of humanitarian aid to Cuba, valued at six million dollars, amid the context of Washington's veto on crude oil shipments to the island. However, the State Department stated on Thursday that the humanitarian needs in Cuba are not related to the oil blockade, and are based on the argument that, according to the U.S., the Cuban government does not use its funds to cover the needs of its citizens. "We are delivering pre-packaged products to make it much more difficult for the regime to interfere," assured the U.S. official. He also detailed that the aid will be delivered mostly in the eastern part of the island, one of the most affected by the hurricane that hit Cuba at the end of last October. When asked about the statements of Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel, who has rejected Washington's pressures, Lewin reproached him for focusing on making "scandalous statements" against the United States instead of providing food to his citizens. The U.S. cut off the flow of Venezuelan oil to Cuba on January 3, following the capture of that country's president, Nicolás Maduro, and on January 29 announced a presidential order to apply tariffs to anyone supplying fuel to the island. The Cuban president stated on Thursday that the island has not received fuel from abroad since last December due to U.S. pressures. "A large part of the humanitarian need we are responding to is that people do not have access to food. And it is not because we do not allow illicit Venezuelan oil to continue enriching Raúl Castro. It is because the government cannot stock the shelves of stores," said the Acting Under Secretary of State for Foreign Assistance, Humanitarian Affairs, and Religious Freedom, Jeremy Lewin, at a press conference. "We urge Díaz-Canel and all members of the Cuban regime to focus, above all, on taking care of their people instead of so much absurd rhetoric about the United States," he asserted. "The U.S. has billions of dollars, but they do not use them to buy food for ordinary Cubans," added the official. On January 14, the U.S. had already reported sending humanitarian assistance worth $3 million to Cuba for families affected by Hurricane Melissa. Lewin presented this additional aid on Thursday, which consists of tens of thousands of units of basic products, including hygiene kits or non-perishable foods such as pasta, rice, canned tuna, or beans, and, like the first January shipment, will be sent from Miami through the same channels and distributed through local parishes.
