VPol
Cuba said it isn’t negotiating with the US and has no agenda for future talks as the Trump administration intensifies its “genocidal” economic and energy pressure on the island, on September 7, according to Al Jazeera. ￭ Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez described the US blockade as “genocidal” and said: “The blockade doesn’t punish the government, it punishes every person (on the island) in every way.” ￭ He said the decades-old embargo caused $8.1bn in economic damage between March 2025 and February 2026, a 7% increase from the previous reporting period, with the figure excluding newer US measures targeting Cuba’s energy supply and imposing secondary sanctions. ￭ Rodríguez said the Trump administration’s oil blockade has further damaged Cuba’s economy and contributed to nationwide blackouts lasting days, leaving many Cubans with only two or three hours of electricity a day or less. ￭ He described food spoiling without refrigeration, extreme heat disrupting sleep, children studying in near darkness and families losing internet access. ￭ “There are no negotiations or agendas, although a willingness to stay in contact remains despite the lack of progress,” Rodríguez told reporters in Havana.
