Cuba says US embargo caused record $8bn damage

Cuba said the US embargo caused more than $8 billion in economic losses between March 2025 and February 2026, a figure its government described as a record.

Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez said Monday that the estimate was 7 percent higher than last year's peak. He said it did not include damage from what Havana calls an energy blockade imposed by Washington in January or from secondary sanctions imposed on Cuban entities in May.

“The blockade does not punish a government; it punishes the daily life of a people in all its aspects,” Rodriguez said.

Cuba has been under a US trade embargo since 1962. Havana blames the island's crisis on US punitive measures, while Washington attributes the hardship to poor internal management.

Living conditions in Cuba are severe, with regular rolling blackouts and chronic food and fuel shortages. Rodriguez cited an increase in infant mortality, from four per 1,000 births in 2018 to 9.9 in 2025, as evidence of deteriorating standards.

He ruled out declaring a humanitarian crisis and praised what he called Cuban solidarity in the face of difficulty.

Rodriguez said Cuban authorities remain in contact with the US State Department but ruled out any normalisation of relations. He said Cuba remained willing to continue dialogue despite what he called a lack of progress and a lack of willingness by the United States.