Bruno Rodriguez said on Tuesday that Cuba's talks with the United States are showing no progress, putting the dispute back at the center of the Cuban government’s diplomacy. The Cuban Foreign Minister said Havana will stay open to dialogue even as he described the negotiations as stalled.
United Nations General Assembly debate
Rodriguez said the July 7 debate at the United Nations General Assembly was part of Cuba’s response to pressure from the United States. He said he called for the session because of growing tensions with the United States, and he accused the US Department of State of pressuring and intimidating UN members not to take part.
Nearly every year, the UN votes overwhelmingly for a symbolic resolution urging the United States to end its US trade embargo on Cuba. Rodriguez also said the discussions between the Cuban and US governments have produced no progress, a statement that leaves the dispute in the same place it was when Cuban officials confirmed in March that they were in talks with the Trump administration.
US trade embargo pressure
Rodriguez tied the stalled talks to what he described as constant threats, coercive measures, and offensive statements about Cuba's independence. He said the conduct of US government delegations had been generally respectful, but the wider approach from the United States remained hostile in his view.
The pressure campaign is not limited to the diplomatic table. In January, Trump effectively severed Cuba's supply of foreign oil by threatening tariffs against any country that provided it with fuel, while the United States has maintained a total trade embargo on Cuba since the 1960s.
Cuba and the United States
Rodriguez’s remarks also come after the Cuban government pardoned 2,010 prisoners in April in what it called a humanitarian gesture. The move did not change the public message from Havana on Tuesday: Cuba and the United States remain in contact, but the talks have not moved forward.
For readers tracking the dispute, the next fixed point is the July 7 session at the United Nations General Assembly, where Cuba will again push its case against Washington’s sanctions. Rodriguez framed that debate as urgent, saying the US government’s pressure on Cuba is already ongoing and intensifying.
