Cuba says talks with the United States over sanctions have stalled

Cuba's foreign minister says negotiations with the United States have made no progress, as tensions continue over sanctions and the long-running trade embargo. Bruno Rodriguez said the talks had reached a standstill and accused US officials of using threats and coercive measures. He made the comments at a news conference on Tuesday in Havana.

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Rodriguez said the discussions between the two governments were showing no progress and that there had been no breakthroughs on ending sanctions against the island. He said US delegations had generally been respectful, but added that their conduct had been accompanied by what he described as constant threats, coercive measures and offensive statements about Cuba's independence. The remarks come after Cuban officials confirmed in March that they were in talks with the Trump administration, although the details of those discussions have not been made public.

The foreign minister also linked the dispute to a planned debate at the United Nations General Assembly on 7 July about Washington's sanctions. He accused the United States of trying to scuttle that session, which Cuba called urgent because of what it described as intensifying pressure. Nearly every year, the UN votes overwhelmingly in favour of a symbolic resolution urging Washington to end its embargo on Cuba, which has been in place since the 1960s.

The latest comments suggest that the diplomatic channel remains open, but with little sign of movement. The stalled talks matter because the embargo remains one of the most enduring disputes in US-Cuba relations and continues to shape the island's economic and political outlook. Rodriguez said the Cuban government would remain open to dialogue despite the impasse.

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At the same time, he said the pressure from Washington was already ongoing and intensifying, underscoring how closely the negotiations are tied to wider questions of sanctions relief and bilateral relations. The issue also carries broader regional significance because Cuba's ties with the United States have long affected diplomacy across the Caribbean and Latin America. The row comes against a backdrop of decades of confrontation between Havana and Washington, rooted in the US trade embargo and Cuba's communist leadership.

Rodriguez referred to the current talks as taking place under President Donald Trump, who has increased pressure on Cuba since returning to office for a second term. The article also says Trump has signalled support for regime change in Cuba and, in January, effectively cut off Cuba's supply of foreign oil by threatening tariffs against countries that supplied fuel to the island. Those claims point to a sharper phase in the dispute, even as formal negotiations continue.

What remains unclear is whether the current talks can produce any concrete change before the UN debate on 7 July. It is also not clear what, if any, concessions either side is prepared to make, or whether the reported pressure from Washington will alter the diplomatic track. For now, Havana says it will keep the door open to dialogue while publicly warning that the situation is worsening.

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