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The Assembly of the Cuban Resistance (ARC) just made a bold pitch in Kyiv: stop funding the Castro regime and send that money to help Ukraine fight Russian aggression. Led by Orlando Gutiérrez‑Boronat, the ARC delegation joined a United for Ukraine parliamentary visit and used the moment to press European lawmakers and Ukrainian officials to rethink Brussels’ cash flow to Havana. It was a clear, strategic ask — and one that deserves plain talk instead of diplomatic sugar-coating.
What happened in Kyiv: ARC asks EU money be redirected to Ukraine
ARC leaders rode alongside a United for Ukraine (U4U) parliamentary delegation visiting Kyiv and raised a simple demand: end EU cooperation funds that they say act as a “subsidy” to the Cuban dictatorship, and redirect that aid to Ukraine’s defense. Orlando Gutiérrez‑Boronat told Ukrainian officials, including meetings tied to U4U briefings, that European support for projects in Cuba should be reallocated to weapons, training, and recovery for Ukraine. The ARC claim is their own — Ukrainian ministries acknowledged the broader U4U visit but did not single out every private meeting — yet the message landed where it matters: in a capital under siege that counts every euro.
Why EU funding to Havana is controversial
The European Union has built a long-running cooperation framework with Cuba and, by its own accounting, has put hundreds of millions of euros into projects on the island. The EU says some funds aim at clean energy, health, and local business. Critics like ARC say the money ends up boosting the Castros’ grip instead of improving Cubans’ lives. If the goal was to help ordinary people, the results speak for themselves: rolling blackouts, economic decay, and an iron fist at every protest. Brussels should explain why its aid hasn’t translated into real freedom or basic improvements — or just admit it’s time to change course.
Mercenaries, diplomacy, and why it matters
ARC also used the Kyiv visit to press Kyiv on what it sees as Havana’s role in the recruitment of Cuban nationals to fight for Russia. These claims are contested and numbers vary, but they are serious enough that Ukraine has already reduced diplomatic ties and closed its embassy in Havana. Whether or not the Cuban government is directly orchestrating recruitment, the optics are terrible: a government taking money from Europe while its citizens turn up on foreign battlefields. That should be a wake-up call for every politician who thinks foreign aid is just a feel-good line item.
What should Europe do next?
If the EU wants to be taken seriously on human rights and global security, it should at least open a full review of its Cuba policy. Freeze questionable projects, demand full transparency, and redirect any funds that can be more urgently used to defend an ally under attack — Ukraine. And if Brussels thinks the Castro regime will suddenly behave because of token programs, then they’re playing geopolitical fantasy. Real leverage is not visiting photo‑ops; it’s smart conditionality and honest accounting.
ARC’s Kyiv push is more than theatrical politics. It’s a test of priorities. Europe can either keep funding a regime that represses its people, or it can stand with a democracy fighting for its life. If Brussels cares about freedom and security, the choice should be obvious — even if it means closing a few comfortable blind spots in EU policy. After all, giving money to dictators while their people suffer and their soldiers show up on foreign battlefields is not charity; it’s bad policy with a moral price tag.
