DistantNews
Support us
🇲🇽 Mexico /Economy & Trade

US economic blockade costs Cuba a record $8.083 billion, Havana says

From El Universal · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Official statement Ongoing story
  • Cuba says the US economic embargo cost it $8.083 billion between March 1, 2025, and February 28, 2026, a record annual figure and 7% increase from the previous period.
  • Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez said cumulative losses since the embargo began exceeded $178.7 billion at current prices.
  • Havana plans to attach the report to its annual United Nations resolution seeking an end to the sanctions, as Cuba faces worsening blackouts and an economic crisis.

Cuba says the US economic embargo caused a record $8.083 billion in losses over the year ending February 28, 2026. The figure, presented by Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez, represents a 7% increase over the previous period.

The report puts the embargo's cumulative cost since its introduction at more than $178.7 billion at current prices. Rodríguez stressed that the figures include only the first month affected by the energy blockade imposed by the United States on January 29.

“The damage in these months multiplies the damage recorded during the period under review,” Rodríguez said. He highlighted the impact on daily life, including Cuba's health system and transport network, and repeated the government's central message: “The blockade does not punish a government. It punishes the daily life of a people.”

The damage in these months multiplies the damage recorded during the period under review.

· Bruno RodríguezCuba's foreign minister described the additional impact of the US energy blockade.

The figures were presented at a news conference on Havana's report, titled “The Need to End the Economic, Commercial and Financial Blockade Imposed by the United States of America.” Cuba plans to submit the document with its annual resolution at the United Nations calling for an end to the sanctions.

The presentation comes as tensions with Washington intensify. The article says the United States has not ruled out military intervention and that President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to take the island. Havana also points to tighter sanctions on Cuban officials, including President Miguel Díaz-Canel, and on foreign companies operating in Cuba. The measures have contributed to the departure of Spanish hotel groups such as Meliá and Iberostar and created difficulties for shipping companies importing goods.

Cuba's economic crisis has also deepened, with blackouts lasting more than 24 hours in Havana and some areas going days without electricity. The article says the country has faced a severe crisis for six years, attributing it both to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and to errors in domestic monetary and economic policies.

The blockade does not punish a government. It punishes the daily life of a people.

· Bruno RodríguezRodríguez emphasized the embargo's reported effects on Cuban citizens and public services.
About this summary

Originally published by El Universal in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

More Stories

From Our Blog