Cuba condemns US ‘collective punishment’ as Trump predicts deal

What the report says

Cuba’s foreign minister, Bruno Rodriguez, used his speech at the UN General Assembly in New York to sharply criticize the United States over its oil blockade and long-running embargo on the island. He described the restrictions as collective punishment and argued they were worsening an already severe humanitarian and economic strain, including fuel shortages, power cuts and pressure on basic supplies.

The remarks came amid renewed public comments from US President Donald Trump, who said at the White House that Washington and Havana would likely reach a deal and suggested military action would not be needed. Trump has also recently called Cuba a failed state and said freedom would come to the country. Cuba’s delegation walked out during that earlier UN address.

Rodriguez said Havana remained open to dialogue, but only on the basis of sovereign equality and without preconditions. He also warned that any military move would cause major destruction. More broadly, the dispute reflects the persistence of more than six decades of US sanctions and a newer oil blockade imposed this year, measures that Cuba and its allies say have intensified hardship. Several countries, including Brazil, Mexico and Pakistan, have called for the embargo and blockade to end.