Cuba says it will not negotiate with US while calling embargo ‘genocidal’ amid record losses and blackouts

Cuba's government reports that the US embargo cost the country $8bn between March 2025 and February 2026. The figure is the highest the government has recorded for a single reporting period and is about 7 percent higher than the previous period. Rodríguez said the total excludes some of Washington's most recent measures, including energy supply restrictions introduced in January and secondary sanctions imposed in May.

Description of daily life under energy restrictions

Rodríguez used stark examples to explain the effects of electricity shortages and constrained energy imports. He said many Cubans are enduring "only two or three hours of electricity per day or less," which he linked to food spoilage without refrigeration, infants exposed to heat, children unable to do schoolwork in the dark, and young people losing internet access. He labelled the situation "collective punishment" and called the policy "genocidal".

Diplomatic relations and stalled talks

Tensions between Washington and Havana have risen under the Trump administration. The two sides held talks earlier in 2026, but Rodríguez said those contacts have stopped and there is currently no negotiation process. He framed the US measures as an "energy siege" and an "extreme tightening of the blockade," which, he argued, undermines Cuba's economic recovery and everyday life on the island.

Cuba plans to take the issue back to the United Nations. Rodríguez said the UN General Assembly will consider its annual resolution calling for an end to the US embargo on October 27–28. He accused the United States of applying "extraordinary pressure and intimidation" on other UN member states ahead of the vote but said Cuba still expects "overwhelming support" for ending the embargo.

The Cuban government is using its most recent economic estimate and vivid descriptions of power outages to press its case internationally. At the same time, it says there is no diplomatic channel open with the United States to negotiate an easing of the restrictions that Havana says are causing economic and humanitarian harm.

Cuba publicly rejects negotiations under current US policy, attributes record economic losses to the embargo and recent sanctions, and is pressing the UN General Assembly for a vote to end the embargo while alleging US pressure on other nations ahead of that vote.