Achieve unification: Cuba announces intention to join BRICS

Cuba is striving for full membership in the BRICS in order to overcome the energy crisis and reduce dependence on the United States, the Embassy of the republic told Izvestia. Havana may raise the issue of full-fledged accession at the upcoming summit in India, where partner states are expected to participate. However, experts note the risk of military aggression by the United States due to the expansion of the bloc at the American borders. What are the chances of the republic joining the organization and what it will give to BRICS — in the material of Izvestia.

Cuba is ready to become a new BRICS member

Cuba's cooperation with the BRICS began very recently, but Havana has long relied on long—standing ties with the founders of the association, in particular, with Russia and China. The republic became an official partner on January 1, 2025, and is now striving for full membership. This was reported to Izvestia by the Cuban Embassy in the Russian Federation.

— Cuba retains its intention to become a full member of the BRICS. This has a high degree of priority for our country, especially in such difficult times as the present, against the background of the unprecedented intensification of the US economic war against Cuba and its incessant threats to use force to destroy the Cuban Revolution," the diplomats stressed.

The diplomatic mission noted that Havana fully shares the goals and principles of the BRICS. The parties' common interests, as well as similar global challenges and problems, helped bring them closer.

"The new stage of economic opening initiated by Cuba should favorably contribute to the expansion of ties with BRICS, as it expands the country's opportunities in foreign economic relations, creates more opportunities for foreign investment and allows for greater synergy with the economic and financial structures of the BRICS member countries," the embassy added.

The basis for this rapprochement is a package of 176 economic reforms, unanimously approved by the Cuban parliament in June 2026. The transformations were the most radical transformation of the local socialist model since 1959. For the first time, Havana allowed the creation of private banks, commercial firms and the sale of shares in state-owned enterprises. The government took this unprecedented step due to the deep crisis caused by the severe financial and fuel blockade by the United States.

Previously, foreign businesses were required to work through government agencies, but now companies from the BRICS countries can directly buy out shares in Cuban enterprises or launch joint projects with the private sector. The republic has already created the first special economic zone in the field of medical tourism, where foreign capital can own 100% of companies. This makes it easier to launch large—scale initiatives, for example, in the field of biotechnology together with Russia, India or China. Taking into account such fundamental transformations, Havana is counting on diplomatic assistance from the existing members of the association, and especially Moscow.

— We hope for the support of the other members of the group in obtaining the status of a full member, especially from Russia, just as it happened during its presidency of the association, when Cuba received the status of a partner country. We once again express our gratitude to Russia for this and for all the support provided to us aimed at facilitating our participation in the group's mechanisms," the embassy concluded.

What complicates Cuba's full membership in the group?

Cuba may request full–fledged membership at the upcoming XVIII BRICS summit, said Viktor Kheifets, professor at St. Petersburg State University and member of the BRICS-Russia Expert Council. It will be held on September 12-13, 2026 in New Delhi under the chairmanship of India. Its Foreign Ministry said it was considering the possibility of a number of BRICS partner countries participating in the September summit.

Havana has long determined the vector of rapprochement, so the activation of its application looks logical. However, there is currently no consensus within the association on further expansion. This position was confirmed to Izvestia by the Russian Embassy in Cuba.

Back in February 2026, Sergey Ryabkov, Deputy Foreign Minister and Russian sherpa at BRICS, stated that the organization was undergoing a period of adaptation. The main task now is to integrate the new participants (Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, the UAE and Ethiopia) into the overall structure. Colleagues from the Indian Foreign Ministry then fully supported this approach, officially announcing the beginning of a "period of internal consolidation." At least, it's not worth waiting for big waves of expansion yet.

The main barrier for Havana remains the scale of its economy: it is much inferior to the indicators of the other members of the bloc, says Heifetz. In his opinion, even the presence of large reserves of nickel will not change the situation. Egor Lidovskaya, Director General of the Hugo Chavez Latin American Cultural Center, holds a similar position. The expert stressed that BRICS is formed by the largest civilizationally forming powers, although hypothetically Cuba could become the leader of the Caribbean. However, in this case, Washington will inevitably increase its pressure on Havana.

The United States is openly seeking to oust BRICS from Latin America — the head of the White House, Donald Trump, has repeatedly threatened the participating countries with large-scale trade duties for any attempts to create a single currency.

Therefore, the escalation around Cuba, given the current tension, could theoretically even reach a military scenario. If the unification took over Havana right now, and Russia, China, India and Brazil agreed to defend the island right up to a direct clash with Washington, this would solve Cuba's problems. However, BRICS is an economic union, not a military alliance. Iran's experience clearly shows that membership in the organization does not protect against an external threat, so accepting Cubans is too risky right now, Lidovsky concluded.

Such a move could have been imagined under the Joe Biden administration, but certainly not under Donald Trump, Heifetz added. According to the expert, even after the departure of the Republican, the White House is unlikely to change course towards Havana in the coming years. For the republic to fully join the BRICS, a fundamental restructuring of American foreign policy is required.

Now Washington does not intend to lift sanctions from the island: the UN General Assembly's calls for lifting the embargo have been ignored by the American authorities for many years. At the same time, major banks in China and India are heavily dependent on the dollar market and are unlikely to risk it for the sake of working with Havana. Therefore, a rapid expansion of the BRICS at the expense of Cuba is unlikely. Nevertheless, the partners will continue to support the republic. In 2026 alone, Russia announced several joint commercial projects and has no plans to abandon them. Thanks to large-scale economic reforms, Cuba can now circumvent US sanctions through the private sector, which leaves the island with hope for a way out of the crisis.