At the UN on Saturday, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez said the US oil blockade and pressure had dramatic humanitarian consequences. He said more than 7,000 containers of food, medicines and medical equipment were stranded in foreign ports.
Rodríguez said Washington was pressuring companies and governments with ties to Cuba, and that foreign firms were being intimidated into abandoning investments and businesses on the island. He also said the threat of US military force persisted and violated international law; Cuba, he added, was ready for dialogue.
A series of US sanctions imposed in recent months has dramatically worsened Cuba's years-long economic and energy crisis, the article says. Washington has indicated it expects Cuba to change its political and economic course and distance itself from powers such as China and Russia, citing US national security; President Donald Trump has also threatened to take over the island.
