HAVANA, Sept. 8 — Washington’s stepped-up trade embargo against Cuba caused the island a record economic loss of 8.083 billion U.S. dollars from March 2025 to February 2026, 7 percent higher than the previous year’s figure, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez said Monday, denouncing the embargo’s devastating impact on all aspects of Cuban life.
Cuba has been under a U.S. trade embargo for more than six decades. The government said the cumulative economic damage has exceeded 178.7 billion dollars at current prices, up 4.7 percent from the previous period.
The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has stepped up the embargo by effectively banning fuel supplies to Cuba through executive orders that threaten sanctions against companies operating tankers or shipping lines, leading to an acute energy crisis.
“The embargo does not punish a government; it punishes the daily lives of a people in every aspect,” Rodriguez said. “It is an act of collective punishment that manifests itself in the long months of living with only two or three hours of electricity a day, or less. It has damaged the entire fabric of family life.”
A ship carrying 100,000 metric tons of crude oil could drastically reduce power outages for about two weeks, he said, noting that sanctions also blocked parts for thermoelectric power plants, as well as the solar panels and batteries needed for photovoltaic parks that could be installed in 45 days.
The energy crisis is also affecting water supplies, as power outages disrupted water sources, pumping stations and pipeline pumps, while fuel shortages due to the U.S. sanctions made it difficult to run generators, Rodriguez said.
The power shortages have also affected hospitals and other health care facilities, including those providing essential care for newborns, he noted, adding that surgeons have at times been forced to operate by the light of rechargeable lamps or cellphones, while fuel shortages have also hindered ambulances and access to medications.
According to government data, Cuba’s infant mortality rate rose from four per 1,000 live births in 2018 to 9.9 in 2025, a trend Rodriguez attributed to a lack of resources in the public health system and difficulties providing medical care and services.
Transportation and education have not been spared, he added, as fuel shortages have made it difficult for workers, students and teachers to commute.
Sanctions are eroding quality of life, Rodriguez said. “This is not a matter of ‘collateral damage,’ a phrase that is also unacceptable in the context of the U.S. criminal war against Cuba.”
“These are the victims of an aggressive strategy, of a coldly calculated plan. It is the objective of the measures being implemented. It is collective punishment against Cubans to achieve political goals,” he said.
Cuba’s government will continue to prioritize meeting the needs of the people, and will move forward with the economic and social reforms approved by the National Assembly of People’s Power, he said. (Namibia Daily News / Xinhua)
