Cuban Foreign Minister Says No Talks with U.S. Amid Record Embargo Losses

Cuba’s foreign minister Bruno Rodríguez told reporters on Monday that there are no current negotiations or agenda for future talks with the United States, as Washington continues to apply economic pressure on the island. He presented the Cuban government’s latest estimate that the U.S. embargo has cost the Cuban economy $8 billion between March 2025 and February 2026, a 7 percent increase over the previous period and the highest figure reported to date. The calculation does not include recent U.S. sanctions targeting the island’s energy sector and secondary sanctions imposed earlier this year.

Rodríguez described the embargo as “economic asphyxiation” and, in a post on the social platform X, called it “genocidal,” citing prolonged electricity shortages that leave households with only two or three hours of power per day. He said the lack of reliable electricity leads to food spoilage, limited cooling for infants, students studying in the dark, and restricted internet access, which he said damages family life.

He characterized the measures as “collective punishment” and accused the United States of an “energy siege” and “extreme tightening of the blockade.” Rodríguez noted that diplomatic contacts between the two governments earlier this year have ceased and that the dispute will shift to the United Nations, where the General Assembly will consider its annual resolution calling for an end to the embargo on Oct. 27-28. He alleged that Washington is exerting “extraordinary pressure and intimidation” on other member states but expressed confidence that the resolution will receive “overwhelming support.”