Cuba condemns US 'collective punishment' as Trump predicts deal

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez has condemned the United States’ oil blockade against his country in a speech to the UN General Assembly, calling it an “act of collective punishment” intended to trigger a humanitarian crisis, Al Jazeera reports.

His remarks on Saturday came as US President Donald Trump predicted the two countries would reach an agreement — and said he did not believe military action would be necessary. “I would say that Cuba and us will make a deal,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “I don’t think we’ll need the military. Cuba is failing very badly. We want to help Cuba.”

Rodriguez told the Assembly that 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”.

Addressing the possibility of US military action, he said it would cause huge destruction: “Let’s hope that this never happens.”

Tensions have risen this week after Trump called Cuba an “absolutely failed state” during his own UN address and declared that “freedom will be coming” to the island — prompting Cuba’s delegation to walk out. The Trump administration has previously said it wants a change in Cuba’s government.

The US has maintained an economic embargo on Cuba for more than 60 years. Since earlier this year, Washington has additionally imposed an oil blockade that has left the country under severe pressure, with fuel shortages and ongoing blackouts; Cuban officials have also blamed it for problems providing food and other basic needs.

The measures have drawn criticism from countries including Brazil, Mexico and Pakistan, which have called for an end to the embargo and the new oil blockade and opposed unilateral economic restrictions on Cuba. Since 1992, the General Assembly has overwhelmingly backed an annual resolution calling for an end to the US embargo.