As leaders prepare to gather for the Summit of the Americas this December in Punta Cana, three countries—Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua—have once again been left off the invitation list.

The Dominican Republic’s foreign ministry, which is hosting this year’s summit, announced the exclusions, framing the decision as necessary to “prioritize the success of the meeting” and reduce political polarization. The three governments, all critics of Washington and non-members of the Organization of American States (OAS), were notably also barred from the 2022 summit in Los Angeles.

Cuba quickly denounced the move, blaming U.S. pressure and pointing directly at Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who has previously described the governments of Havana, Caracas, and Managua as destabilizing forces in the region. In a statement, Cuba called the decision “censorship and exclusion” that undermines the summit’s stated goals of dialogue and cooperation.

For the Dominican Republic, the stakes are high. Hosting one of the hemisphere’s premier diplomatic events means balancing its relationship with the United States—still the region’s most powerful actor—with the risk of alienating Latin American countries that view these exclusions as unfair.

As December approaches, the Summit of the Americas faces familiar questions: Can a meeting that leaves out three governments representing millions of people truly claim to speak for the hemisphere? Or will exclusion prove to be a fault line that overshadows efforts at cooperation on migration, climate, and trade?