Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez called negotiations with the United States at an impasse, with no breakthroughs in ending sanctions against the Caribbean island.
“Negotiations between the governments of Cuba and the United States show no progress,” Rodriguez said at a news conference on Tuesday.
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He moved on to reflect on ongoing negotiations with the government of US President Donald Trump, who has stepped up pressure on the Caribbean island since returning for a second term.
“The conduct of U.S. government delegations — generally respectful — was accompanied by constant threats against Cuba, the use of coercive measures and insulting statements regarding the independence of our country,” Rodriguez said.
Since the 1960s, the US has imposed a full trade embargo on Cuba as part of a long-running dispute with the island’s communist leadership.
But Trump has made it clear he would like to see regime change in Cuba, and in January he effectively cut off foreign oil supplies to Cuba, threatening tariffs on any country that supplied it with fuel.
Trump has also contemplated taking military action against Cuba once the US-Israeli war against Iran comes to an end.
In March, Cuban officials confirmed they were holding talks with the Trump administration, although details of those talks have not been confirmed.
Shortly after, reports emerged that Trump was seeking the resignation of Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel, but the Cuban government publicly rejected such demands.
On Tuesday, Rodriguez said that despite the impasse, Havana “will remain open to dialogue.”
He also accused the United States of trying to disrupt debates scheduled for July 7 at the UN General Assembly to discuss Washington’s sanctions.
Almost every year, the UN overwhelmingly backs a symbolic resolution calling on the US to end its record embargo on the Cuban economy.
Rodriguez explained that he called for the July 7 meeting due to concerns about rising tensions with the United States.
“This is urgent because the U.S. government’s multifaceted aggression against Cuba is already ongoing and intensifying,” Rodriguez said.
He also warned that the US State Department was, in his words, “pressuring and intimidating” UN members not to take part in the debate.
Since the Trump administration launched a pressure campaign this year, Cuba has taken steps to address long-standing human rights problems that have plagued its government.
In April, for example, the government pardoned 2,010 prisoners in what it called a “humanitarian gesture,” although critics noted that the releases did not include political dissidents jailed for “crimes against the government.”
Then, earlier this month, the Cuban Communist Party approved several free market reforms as part of an emergency economic package.
These reforms included expanding opportunities for private enterprise and foreign investment in Cuba, measures that loosened the government’s control over the economy.
Despite unprecedented economic reforms, Cuba has said its political model is non-negotiable and vowed to resist any US invasion.
He also condemned the US oil blockade and other sanctions as a form of collective punishment.
Cuba’s aging energy system relies heavily on fossil fuels imported from abroad. However, supplies have virtually ceased since January, and only one Russian oil tanker arrived on the island in March.
The resulting fuel shortages have exacerbated rolling blackouts that can last up to 40 hours at a time. In some areas, public transport has ground to a halt and hospitals are struggling to maintain electricity.
At the conference Tuesday, Rodriguez blamed U.S. sanctions for “causing loss of life” in Cuba.
His remarks echoed the concerns of top humanitarian authorities, including Volker Türk, the UN high commissioner for human rights.
Last week he pointed to statistics showing the infant mortality rate had doubled to almost 9.9 for every 1,000 births.
“Children are dying because doctors do not have access to basic medical supplies and medicines. This is unacceptable,” Turk said in a statement. “These sanctions must be lifted immediately.”
Still, Trump and his Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a Cuban-American, continue to increase pressure on the island.
In early June, the United States imposed sanctions on President Diaz-Canel, his wife and stepson, and the son and grandson of former President Raul Castro, brother of late former leader Fidel Castro.
Last month, the Trump administration also issued an arrest warrant for Castro, accusing him of participating in the 1996 downing of two activist planes that killed four people.
The US also recently imposed sanctions on the island’s state-owned oil and gas company, Union Cuba-Petroleo.
In his statement, Rubio, who is hawkish toward the Cuban government, argued that poor governance in Havana was to blame for the worsening humanitarian crisis on the island.
“While the Cuban people suffer fuel shortages and power outages due to decades of underinvestment in critical infrastructure, Cuba’s communist leaders are diverting energy resources to line their pockets,” Rubio wrote.
Almost five months have passed since the island came under a US fuel blockade.