International

Cuban Vice-President Valdés Mesa receives Belarusian Foreign Minister

Photo: Cubadebate

July 19 |

The Vice President of the Republic of Cuba, Salvador Valdés Mesa, received on Tuesday the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus, Seguéi Aleinik, who is on an official visit to the Caribbean country.

During the meeting, the Cuban vice president highlighted the high level reached by bilateral relations, strengthened by the visit of President Miguel Diaz-Canel to Belarus in 2019.

The Belarusian foreign minister noted that he senses an expansion of economic and trade cooperation, especially at a time when both nations are under pressure and sanctions from the West. For this reason, he stressed the need to promote the development of this collaboration in order to make the two economies stronger.

Aleinik also praised the progress of Belarusian industrial projects, such as the possible agreement between the MTZ tractor company and Cuban authorities for the assembly of this type of equipment in Cuba.

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The foreign minister took the opportunity to convey a greeting from President Alexander Lukashenko to his Cuban counterpart. “We have a multilevel cooperation, including at the international political level, with exchanges between foreign ministries, where there is an absolute understanding,” he added.

On the first day of his visit to Cuba, last Monday, July 17, Aleinik met with the president of the National Assembly of People’s Power, Esteban Lazo Hernandez, the deputy prime minister and minister of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment, Ricardo Cabrisas, and the acting foreign minister, Josefina Vidal.

According to the Belarusian Foreign Ministry, in these contacts “special attention was paid to the supply of various Belarusian equipment and spare parts, demanded foodstuffs and other Belarusian products to Cuba. In this context, preparations for the signing of the Protocol to the Agreement on Reciprocal Deliveries” were discussed (…).

It also transpired that “the full range of Belarusian-Cuban relations and ways to intensify them, in particular through the mechanism of the bilateral commission on trade and economic cooperation” were discussed.

The official also noted that the two countries discussed very promising mutual projects in the areas of science, biotechnology and pharmacology.

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International

White House says Cuba policy unchanged despite sanctioned fuel shipment

The White House said Monday that it has not changed its policy toward Cuba, despite allowing a sanctioned Russian oil tanker to deliver fuel to the island on humanitarian grounds.

U.S. officials emphasized that the decision was made as an exception and does not signal a broader shift in policy.

The administration added that similar decisions would be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, depending on humanitarian considerations.

The clarification comes amid ongoing restrictions related to U.S. sanctions policy, which continue to limit trade and financial flows involving Cuba.

International

Spain to grant citizenship to Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo López

The Spanish government is expected to grant citizenship this Tuesday to Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo Lópezthrough an extraordinary procedure known as “carta de naturaleza.”

The decision will be approved by royal decree, an exceptional legal mechanism used in special cases that require expedited resolution due to specific circumstances.

López has been living in Madrid since 2020, after leaving Venezuela following a prolonged political and legal conflict with the government of Nicolás Maduro.

According to government sources, López currently does not have a valid Venezuelan passport and faces difficulties in having his nationality fully recognized in his home country.

As a result, he applied for Spanish citizenship via a fast-track process at the end of 2025, after previously attempting to obtain it through regular procedures.

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The Spanish government justified the move based on López’s international relevance and foreign policy considerations.

López is the leader of the Voluntad Popular party and co-founder of the World Liberty Congress, an initiative launched in 2022 alongside figures such as Garry Kasparov and Masih Alinejad.

International

ICE to remain at airports amid DHS shutdown, Homan says

The U.S. “border czar,” Tom Homan, said Sunday that agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will remain deployed at airports until operations return to “100% normal,” as the shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) continues.

“We will maintain ICE presence until airports feel they are fully back to normal operations,” Homan said during an interview on Face the Nation on CBS.

Homan justified the deployment on security grounds, noting that the measure was ordered by President Donald Trumpamid widespread absenteeism among agents of the Transportation Security Administration, who have gone without pay for over six weeks due to the DHS shutdown.

According to acting TSA administrator Ha Nguyen McNeill, at least 460 TSA agents have resigned during the shutdown, while daily absenteeism has averaged 11%, exceeding 50% at some airports.

Homan warned that if TSA staffing levels do not recover after the shutdown, ICE agents will continue filling the gap. “ICE is there to support our TSA brothers and sisters. We will remain as long as needed to ensure airport security,” he said.

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The DHS shutdown reached 44 days on Sunday, making it the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. The impasse stems from disagreements between Democrats and Republicans over ICE funding.

A recent bipartisan Senate proposal to fund DHS without including ICE failed after being blocked by House Republicans, who insist on full funding for the agency.

Amid the deadlock, Trump signed an executive order directing Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin to immediately pay TSA agents to address what he called an “emergency situation” and restore order at airports, with payments expected to begin Monday.