Brazil: Oil Workers and Social Movements Organize “Oil for Cuba” Campaign
Defend Democracy Press | Monday, 23 February 2026 | Click here for original article
Brazilian unions and movements have launched the Petróleo para Cuba campaign
On Friday, February 13, the FUP sent a letter to Petrobras’ Executive Board of Logistics, Marketing, and Markets, requesting a meeting to discuss the possibility of sending emergency fuel to Cuba.
Social organizations, popular movements, and oil workers are coordinating the Petróleo para Cuba (Oil for Cuba) campaign to pressure the Brazilian government and Petrobras to send emergency fuel to the Caribbean country, which is being suffocated by additional sanctions imposed by the Trump administration.
With the support of the two national oil workers’ federations (FUP and FNP), the initiative brings together the Brazilian Movement of Solidarity with Cuba and Just Causes, the José Martí Cultural Association, popular entities, trade unions, and political parties.
On Friday, the 13th, the FUP sent a letter to the Executive Board of Logistics, Marketing, and Markets of Petrobras, headed by Claudio Romeo Schlosser, requesting a meeting to discuss the possibility of sending emergency fuel to Cuba.
“In view of the recent worsening of trade and energy restrictions that have directly impacted that country’s supply, generating humanitarian risks and compromising essential services, we believe it is essential to engage in institutional dialogue on viable alternatives, regulatory and operational aspects, as well as possible avenues for cooperation that can be built on the principles of solidarity, sovereignty, and social responsibility,” the document highlights.
At the end of January, the United States approved a decree imposing tariffs on countries that supply oil to Cuba, thereby expanding the economic siege on Cubans and compromising the island’s energy supply.
“The FUP stands in solidarity with the Cuban people against the economic and energy embargo promoted by the Trump administration. Brazilian diplomacy has already spoken out on the issue. However, we need concrete, urgent, and humanitarian action. Petrobras, as a public company of a sovereign country, needs to get involved to ensure oil supplies to the Caribbean country,” said FUP director Paulo Neves.
Brazil maintains trade relations with Cuba, exporting mainly agricultural and food products, as well as some industrial goods. The overall trade balance between the two countries shows a surplus for Brazil.
