As demonstrations against Cuba’s authoritarian regime persist across the island nation, President Joe Biden is discussing ways that the United States could aid the Cuban people.
During a press conference Thursday with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Biden mentioned that there are several possibilities for the U.S. to provide humanitarian aid to the island. However, he added the caveat that the White House would demand assurances the government would not interfere with the dispersal of such aid.
One such possibility involves doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, something in drastically short supply in Cuba. Biden said he wants to send supplies of the vaccine to Cuba, but only if the Cuban government allowed an outside agency to distribute the shots.
“I would be prepared to give significant amounts of vaccine if in fact I was assured an international organization would administer those vaccines and do it in a way that average citizens would have access to those vaccines.”
President Biden also said restoring internet access on the island is also something the U.S. is considering. Access to the Internet has been almost completely blacked out since protests erupted Sunday, as the officials in Havana look to control the flow of information about the extremely rare uprising, in and out of Cuba. The president says American officials are trying to determine if they have the technological ability to restore access.
During the same press conference, Biden called Cuba a “failed state” that is repressing its citizens under the banner of communism.
The protests in Havana and other parts of the country were touched off as residents, many of whom are without basic supplies such as food and medicine, reached a breaking point. Many of those who have been protesting the past few days are demanding an end to Cuba’s six decades of authoritarian leadership.