Cuba condemns US ‘collective punishment’ as Trump predicts deal

The foreign minister’s comments come days after the US told the UN that ‘freedom will be coming’ to Cuba.

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez has condemned the United States’s oil blockade against his country during his speech at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), calling it an “act of collective punishment” intended to trigger a humanitarian crisis.

His comments on Saturday come as tensions between Washington and Havana remain high and as US President Donald Trump predicted that the two countries would reach an agreement, while saying he did not believe military action would be necessary.

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“I would say that Cuba and us will make a deal,” Trump told reporters at the White House on Saturday. “I don’t think we’ll need the military. Cuba is failing very badly. We want to help Cuba.”

In his UNGA speech, Rodriguez said Havana remained open to negotiations.

“We have always been and will always be prepared for dialogue with the government of the United States in order to try to find solutions to the various bilateral differences that we have,” he said, adding that talks would have to be based on “sovereign equality” and take place “without preconditions”.

Rodriguez also addressed the possibility of US military action, saying it would cause huge destruction.

“Let’s hope that this never happens,” he said.

Earlier this week, Trump called Cuba an “absolutely failed state” during his own UN address and said “freedom will be coming” to the island. Cuba’s delegation walked out during the speech.

The US has maintained an economic embargo on Cuba for more than 60 years. The Trump administration has previously said that it wants a change in Cuba’s government. Since earlier this year, the US has additionally imposed an oil blockade that has put the country under severe pressure, dealing with fuel shortages and ongoing blackouts. Cuban officials have also blamed it on problems providing food and other basic needs for its population.

The measures have drawn criticism from countries including Brazil, Mexico and Pakistan, which have called for an end to the embargo and new oil blockade and opposed unilateral economic restrictions on Cuba.

Since 1992, the UN General Assembly has overwhelmingly backed an annual resolution calling for an end to the US economic, commercial and financial embargo on Cuba.