Cuba denounces 'record' economic damage from US embargo

HAVANA: A government report has revealed that the US embargo on Cuba caused over $8 billion in economic losses between March of last year and February of this year, marking a record decline. This embargo, in place since 1962, has been intensified by President Donald Trump since early this year. The economic damage reported surpasses last year's peak by 7%, according to Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez.

The figure does not account for the additional harm caused by the January energy blockade and the May secondary sanctions on Cuban entities. Rodriguez emphasized that the embargo does not target a government but instead inflicts hardship on the daily lives of the Cuban people in various aspects. The Cuban Foreign Minister blamed the crisis on a series of US-imposed punitive measures, contrasting it with Washington's perspective that attributes the difficulties to poor internal management.

The island's residents are grappling with severe living conditions, including frequent power outages and persistent food and fuel shortages. Rodriguez cited a rise in infant mortality rates, from four per 1,000 births in 2018 to 9.9 in 2025, as a stark indicator of deteriorating standards. Despite the hardships, he declined to declare a humanitarian crisis, praising the Cuban solidarity in the face of adversity.

Rodriguez maintained that Cuban authorities continue to engage in dialogue with the US State Department, but ruled out any normalization of ties, expressing willingness to continue engaging in dialogue despite the lack of progress and the US's unwillingness to do the same.