Cuba denounces ‘record’ financial impact of US embargo

Cuba says the US embargo caused more than $8 billion in losses in the year to February 2026, a record figure that Havana says still understates the damage. Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez presented the calculation ahead of the United Nations General Assembly’s annual vote on the embargo in October.

The reported losses total $8.083 billion, 7% more than the previous record. Rodríguez said the figure does not include the effects of Washington’s fuel blockade or secondary sanctions introduced by the Donald Trump administration this year.

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The blockade does not punish a government, it punishes the daily life of a people in every respect.

Since January, the United States has threatened to sanction countries that supply fuel to Cuba. Only one Russian oil tanker has reached the island since then. In May, Washington also imposed secondary sanctions on foreign companies with commercial ties to Cuba, prompting numerous firms to leave, particularly in tourism and mining, two important sources of foreign currency.

Rodríguez said the restrictions have worsened Cuba’s energy crisis, with blackouts sometimes lasting more than 60 consecutive hours. Pressure on fuel supplies and shipping companies has disrupted transport, water services and health care. He said some surgeries had to be completed using rechargeable lamps and medical staff members’ phone flashlights.

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There will be no humanitarian crisis in Cuba.

The foreign minister also pointed to worsening social indicators, including infant mortality, which rose from four deaths per 1,000 live births in 2018 to 9.9 in 2025. He rejected the idea that Cuba faces a humanitarian emergency, saying, "There will be no humanitarian crisis in Cuba," and attributed the country’s resilience to solidarity among its people.

Cuba still maintains communication channels with the US State Department, Rodríguez said, but he ruled out progress in talks because of a "lack of political will" from the US government. He also criticized Washington for failing to deliver most of the $100 million in humanitarian aid promised in May by Secretary of State Marco Rubio. So far, he said, only a food and hygiene package for 700 Cuban families has been sent.

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Lack of political will.