Cuba’s foreign minister says no negotiations despite “genocidal” blockade
Havana, Cuba
Reuters
Cuba’s top diplomat said on Monday there are no talks underway with the United States, nor were there any plans for future negotiations, amid a “genocidal” blockade that Cuba says has cost the island nation over $US8 billion in economic damages in the last year.
“There are no negotiations or agendas, although a willingness to stay in contact remains despite the lack of progress,” Cuba’s foreign minister, Bruno Rodriguez, told reporters at a press conference in Havana.
Cuba’s Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez speaks during a press conference during which he said that talks initiated earlier this year with the US had stalled, in Havana, Cuba, on 30th June, 2026. PICTURE: Reuters/Norlys Perez
Rodriguez said that damages caused by the decades-old US trade embargo against Cuba had jumped seven per cent in 2025 versus the previous year, to $US8.1 billion.
Cuba’s foreign minister said the financial hit to Cuba`s economy would balloon in the first months of 2026, after the Trump administration imposed an oil blockade on the island that has all but decimated output and led to nationwide blackouts that now span days.
“The blockade doesn’t punish the government, it punishes every person [on the island] in every way,” Cuba`s top diplomat said. “It means long months spent living with only two or three hours of electricity a day or less, food spoiling, heat that makes it impossible to sleep, children doing their homework in near darkness.”
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The US State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Rodriguez’s remarks.
The US, which regards the Cuban government as presenting national security concerns, has previously said the blockade and stepped-up sanctions are necessary to force a change to the communist-run government, which the Trump administration accuses of limiting Cuban’s economic and human rights.
The United Nations has called the Trump sanctions and energy siege a violation of international law. A team of UN experts in August warned of a growing risk of disease outbreaks on the island as the US has tightened sanctions.
The US also warned recently in a health alert of a spike in intestinal illnesses and diarrhea caused by failing water and electricity supply on the island.