The U.S. embargo on Cuba resulted in a "record" loss of over $8 billion for the battered island between March last year and February this year, according to a government report presented Monday as the country is going through a severe economic crisis.
Cuba has been under a U.S. trade embargo since 1962, with President Donald Trump piling on pressure on top of the decades-old measure since early this year.
The damages set out in the report exceed last year's peak by 7%, said Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez.
The figure "does not include the damage from the energy blockade" imposed by Washington in January "nor the damage from secondary sanctions" imposed on Cuban entities in May, the minister added.
"The blockade does not punish a government; it punishes the daily life of a people in all its aspects," Rodriguez said.
Havana blames the crisis on an array of U.S.-imposed punitive measures, while Washington attributes the hardship to poor internal management.
Living conditions on the island are severe, with residents enduring regular rolling blackouts and chronic food and fuel shortages on a daily basis.
Rodriguez pointed to 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, however, and praised what he called Cuban solidarity in the face of difficulty.
The minister said Cuban authorities remain in contact with the U.S. State Department but ruled out any normalization of ties.
Cuba remains willing to continue engaging in dialogue "despite the lack of progress" and "lack of willingness" on the part of the U.S., he said.
