Cuba Reports Record Economic Losses from US Embargo and Rejects Negotiations

Cuba's Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez announced on Monday that the United States embargo cost the Cuban economy approximately 8 billion dollars between March 2025 and February 2026. This figure represents a 7 percent increase over the previous reporting period. Rodriguez stated that Havana is not currently negotiating with the United States and that there is no agenda for future talks. The Cuban government intends to present these findings to the United Nations General Assembly ahead of an annual resolution calling for the end of the embargo, which is scheduled for October 27 and 28.

Rodriguez described the US policy as a genocidal blockade and a form of collective punishment. He highlighted a severe energy crisis characterized by blackouts that leave some areas with only two or three hours of electricity per day. He attributed these hardships to an energy siege and secondary sanctions. Additionally, reports indicate that some Spanish hotel chains, including Meliá and Iberostar, have ceased operations on the island.

Outlets with a center left lean framed the situation as a campaign of economic asphyxiation by the Trump administration that targets the daily lives of Cuban families. In contrast, a center right lean outlet framed the economic deterioration as a result of both the embargo and internal structural failures, including flaws in the Cuban government's monetary and economic policies.