Published 04/21/2026 13:11
The deputy director general in charge of the US at the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Alejandro García del Toro, confirmed to the newspaper Granmathat there was a recent meeting between Cuban and American authorities to discuss the sanctions imposed on the Island by the Donald Trump government.
“This is a delicate issue that, as we have already said, we are treating with discretion,” said del Toro. But, he added, “I can confirm that a meeting between Cuban and U.S. delegations was recently held here in Cuba. The U.S. side was represented by deputy secretaries of state, and the Cuban side by the vice minister of foreign affairs.”
According to del Toro, during the meeting “none of the parties set deadlines or made threatening statements, as reported in the North American press. The entire conversation was respectful and professional.”
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He stressed that “eliminating the energy blockade against the country was a top priority for our delegation. This act of economic coercion is an unjustified punishment for the entire Cuban population. It is also a form of global blackmail against sovereign states, which have every right to export fuel to Cuba in accordance with the principles of free trade.”
The fuel blockade — established in January by Trump — works through severe sanctions on countries and companies that supply oil to the island, aiming to stifle the economy and force a political transition.
The strategy includes threats of extra tariffs and financial restrictions, halting fuel shipments from Venezuela and other suppliers.
With this type of blackmail, the Cuban people have suffered serious social, humanitarian and economic consequences and have received international solidarity, including through donations.
Lula rejects blockade
During his visit to Spain and Germany between the 18th and 20th, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva drew the attention of other authorities to the situation experienced by Cuba.
During the 4th High-Level Meeting of the Forum in Defense of Democracy, in Barcelona, on Saturday (18), the president said he was “very concerned about Cuba” and defended the end of sanctions and the right of the Cuban people to their sovereignty.
He also said that “Cuba’s problems belong to the Cubans. They are not Lula’s, Cláudia’s (Sheinbaum, president of Mexico) or Trump’s problems.” And he emphasized: “Stop this damn blockade of Cuba and let the Cubans live their lives.”
In a press conference held together with the Prime Minister of Germany, Friedrich Merz in Hanover on Monday (20), Lula reaffirmed his position against unilateral interventions, including in relation to Cuba: “I am against the lack of respect for the territorial integrity of nations. I am against any country in the world engaging in political interference in how a society should organize itself or not.”
Source: vermelho.org.br