Cuba says no negotiations with US despite ‘genocidal’ blockade

What the report says

Cuba says it is not negotiating with the United States, even as the Trump administration keeps up economic pressure on the island. In comments reported by Al Jazeera on Monday, Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez said there is no active dialogue and no planned agenda for talks between Havana and Washington.

Rodríguez used a media conference and a post on X to argue that the US embargo has deepened Cuba’s economic strain. He described months of severe power outages and said the blackout conditions have affected daily life, including food storage, schooling and internet access. According to the Cuban government’s latest estimate cited by Al Jazeera, the embargo caused $8bn in losses between March 2025 and February 2026, the highest figure yet reported and about 7% above the prior period.

The article notes that this total does not include some newer US measures, such as January restrictions on Cuba’s energy supply and secondary sanctions imposed in May. Cuba has long blamed the embargo, in place since 1959, for shortages and hardship, while Washington says its sanctions target the Cuban government’s conduct. The dispute is expected to return to the UN General Assembly later this month, when member states will again vote on Cuba’s annual call to end the embargo.