Latin America

Cuba, the US aircraft carrier Nimitz deployed in the Caribbean

In the same hours, the US Supreme Court authorised the lawsuits concerning US assets seized from Cuba in 1960

by Roberto Da Rin

21 May 2026

3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

Key points

Supreme Court allows lawsuits on assets seized in 1960 from Cuba
China and Russia issue declarations of solidarity with Cuba
Guzman (Cuban Ambassador to the UN): 'We talk to the US, but only with reciprocity'

3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

A 333-metre-long American aircraft carrier. It is called Nimitz and is deployed in the southern Caribbean Sea on the day of the indictment of Raul Castro, former president of Cuba. Nimitz's objective is to intimidate or perhaps attack, who knows, an island that is going through a dramatic energy and food crisis, caused by the blockage of most of its power plants, which are on the verge of a fuel shortage.

Raul will be 95 in a few days and his pueblo has slipped into destitution after the US embargo became even harsher. Havana is not allowed to import oil...

"Welcome to the Caribbean, Carrier Strike Group Nimitz!" wrote US Southern Command, responsible for operations in Latin America excluding Mexico, on its Twitter account. "Carrier USS Nimitz, Embarked Air Wing, USS Gridley and USNS Patuxent (T-AO 201) represent the ultimate expression of readiness and presence, unmatched range and lethality, and strategic advantage," the post added.

The American warship will remain in the region to intensify Washington's pressure on the Cuban government. Military sources have told the New York Times that the administration intends to use the Nimitz, and its fighters, as a show of force, but not as a platform for a massive military operation, a role that the aircraft carrier Gerald Ford played when the blitz that led to the capture of Nicolas Maduro in Caracas on three January was launched.

In the same hours, the US Supreme Court authorised the lawsuits concerning US assets seized from Cuba in 1960. The wise men sided with the US port company whose assets were confiscated in 1960 when Fidel Castro came to power in Cuba and nationalised private companies. With eight votes in favour and one against, the Supreme Court agrees with the Havana Docks Corporation. It is a decision that could pave the way for similar claims by other American companies.

The Cuban government of Miguel Diaz-Canel, replies in the party newspaper Granma as follows: 'The recent measures announced against Cuba do not respond to real threats to the security of the United States, but to the persistence of a political model that Washington has not been able to bend through coercion'.

Meanwhile, Ernesto Soberon Guzman, the Cuban ambassador to the UN, said in an interview with the New York Times: Cuba is ready to negotiate with the US but does not believe that Washington is participating in the negotiations in good faith. "We are willing to talk about everything with the United States. There are no taboo subjects in our conversations on the basis of reciprocity and equality,' Guzman pointed out.

In the same hours, Donald Trump reiterated that 'Cuba has accepted humanitarian aid offered by the United States'.

International reactions

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiankun said, 'China has always firmly opposed illegal unilateral sanctions that have no basis in international law and are not authorised by the UN Security Council, as well as the abuse of judicial measures, and we also oppose pressure from outside forces on Cuba under any pretext'. The US should 'stop wielding the stick of sanctions and judicial measures' against Cuba, Guo added, 'China firmly supports Cuba in safeguarding its national sovereignty and national dignity and opposes external interference'.

From Moscow a similar reaction. Russia will continue to 'provide maximum support to the fraternal Cuban people' while the US tries to 'strangle it economically'. This was said by Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova. The Malecón, Havana's waterfront, is more deserted than usual. The wind smells of departures and returns, of those who have stayed and those who have set sail. Eight kilometres of stone and waiting, a horizon that always promises what the sea never returns.