Brazil dispatches 48 tonnes of powdered milk to Cuba
The Brazilian government is sending 48 tonnes of powdered milk to Cuba to help alleviate severe food shortages. Two flights of the Brazilian Air Force are carrying the aid: the first, with 16 tonnes, departed from Canoas (RS) on 13 July and the second, with 32 tonnes, will leave Porto Alegre on 14 July; both are scheduled to arrive in Santiago de Cuba on 15 July. The operation is coordinated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs through the Brazilian Agency for Cooperation (ABC), with the food supplied by the National Supply Company (Conab). President Luiz Inácio Lula convened a meeting with ministers of agrarian development, defence, foreign affairs and the chief of staff to approve the shipment, marking the third humanitarian delivery to Cuba this year after a 2025 aid mission following Hurricane Melissa.
The aid is intended to mitigate the impact of an intensified U.S. economic and energy blockade that has left Cuba without petroleum for months, caused power outages, higher prices for basic goods and reduced public transport. Recent U.S. sanctions, imposed at the end of 2025 and in January 2026, target oil sales, tourism, gold mining and the Cuban state oil company. Cuban residents, quoted by Agência Brasil, describe the current situation as the worst in decades. Brazil says further food and medicine donations are under evaluation.