Cuba says US talks stalled as embargo fight heads to UN
Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez said Havana remains open to talks while accusing Washington of escalating sanctions and pressure on UN members.
By James Whitfield · Staff Writer
4 min read
Cuba’s foreign minister said talks with the United States have produced no movement toward easing sanctions, underscoring a worsening dispute between Havana and Washington. Bruno Rodriguez also accused the Trump administration of trying to discourage countries from joining a July 7 United Nations debate on the US embargo.
At a news conference Tuesday, Rodriguez said discussions between the two governments were not advancing. He said US delegations had generally behaved respectfully in meetings, but that Washington’s approach had also included threats, coercive actions and statements he described as insulting to Cuba’s sovereignty.
Rodriguez said Cuba would keep the door open to dialogue despite the impasse. Cuban officials confirmed in March that they were in contact with the Trump administration, though they have not publicly detailed the substance of those talks.
The dispute centers on US pressure that has intensified since President Donald Trump returned to office for a second term, according to Cuban officials. The United States has maintained a broad trade embargo on Cuba since the 1960s as part of its long conflict with the island’s communist government.
Trump has said he wants political change in Cuba, and in January threatened tariffs against countries supplying fuel to the island, effectively cutting off much of Cuba’s foreign oil access, according to Al Jazeera, AFP and Reuters. He has also discussed possible military action against Cuba after the US-Israel war with Iran ends, according to the same reporting.
Rodriguez said he requested the July 7 UN General Assembly session because tensions were rising. He accused the US State Department of pressuring and intimidating UN member states not to take part in the debate.
The UN General Assembly has for years voted by large margins for nonbinding resolutions calling on Washington to end the embargo, according to Al Jazeera. Rodriguez said Cuba views the latest session as urgent because US actions against the island are intensifying.
Cuba has taken some steps this year that officials presented as responses to international and domestic pressure. In April, the government pardoned 2,010 prisoners in what it called a humanitarian gesture, though critics said political dissidents jailed for crimes against authority were not included, according to Al Jazeera.
Earlier in June, Cuba’s Communist Party approved emergency economic measures that expanded room for private businesses and foreign investment, according to Al Jazeera. Cuban authorities have said the country’s political system is not part of any negotiation and have pledged to resist any US invasion.
Rodriguez blamed US sanctions for worsening conditions in Cuba and accused them of causing deaths. The island depends heavily on imported fossil fuels for its ageing power grid, and only one Russian oil tanker has reached Cuba since January, according to Al Jazeera, AFP and Reuters.
Fuel shortages have worsened power cuts that can last up to 40 hours, while some public transportation has stopped and hospitals have struggled to maintain electricity, according to the same reporting.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk last week linked sanctions to the humanitarian toll, citing figures showing infant mortality had doubled to nearly 9.9 deaths per 1,000 births. Turk said children were dying because doctors lacked essential supplies and medicines, and called for the sanctions to be lifted immediately.
The Trump administration has continued to add penalties. In early June, the US sanctioned Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel, his wife and stepson, as well as relatives of former President Raul Castro, according to Al Jazeera.
Washington also issued an arrest warrant last month for Raul Castro, accusing him of involvement in the 1996 downing of two activist planes that killed four people, according to Al Jazeera. The US has also sanctioned Cuba’s state oil and gas company, Union Cuba-Petroleo.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has rejected Havana’s account of the crisis. In a statement, Rubio said Cuba’s leaders, not US policy, were responsible for fuel shortages and blackouts, accusing them of underinvesting in infrastructure and diverting energy resources for personal gain.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.