On Monday, Cuba’s foreign minister said that talks with the United States are not taking place and are not planned for the future, amid a "genocidal" blockade that, according to Havana’s estimates, caused the island nation more than $8 billion in economic losses over the past year, UNN reports, citing Reuters.
"There are no negotiations or agreed agenda, although the willingness to maintain contacts remains despite the lack of progress," Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez told reporters at a press conference in Havana.
Rodríguez said that losses from the U.S. trade embargo against Cuba, which has been in effect for several decades, rose by 7 percent in 2025 compared with the previous year, reaching $8.1 billion.
Cuba’s foreign minister said that financial losses for the country’s economy would rise sharply in the first months of 2026 after the Trump administration imposed an oil blockade on the island, which virtually paralyzed production and led to nationwide power outages lasting several days at a time.
"The blockade does not punish the government; it punishes every person (on the island) in every way," the Cuban diplomat said. "It means long months of living with electricity supplied for only 2–3 hours a day or even less; food spoiling, heat that prevents people from sleeping, and children doing their homework in almost complete darkness."
The U.S. State Department did not immediately comment on Rodríguez’s statements.
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The United States, which considers the Cuban government a threat to national security, has previously said that the blockade and increased sanctions are necessary to force a change in the communist regime, which the Trump administration accuses of restricting Cubans’ economic and human rights.
The United Nations called Trump’s sanctions and the energy blockade a violation of international law. In August, a group of U.N. experts warned of a growing risk of disease outbreaks on the island in connection with the tightening of U.S. sanctions.
In addition, the United States recently issued a public health warning about a sharp increase in intestinal illnesses and diarrhea caused by disruptions to the water supply and electricity on the island.