{"id":590013,"date":"2026-04-21T23:40:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-21T23:40:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/buglecall.org\/?p=590013"},"modified":"2026-04-21T23:40:00","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T23:40:00","slug":"eliminating-energy-blockade-top-priority-as-cuba-confirms-direct-talks-with-us-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buglecall.org\/?p=590013","title":{"rendered":"‘Eliminating Energy Blockade Top Priority’ As Cuba Confirms Direct Talks With US"},"content":{"rendered":"

‘Eliminating Energy Blockade Top Priority’ As Cuba Confirms Direct Talks With US<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Cuba confirmed on April 20 that it recently held direct talks with U.S. officials in Havana, marking a rare diplomatic engagement as tensions persist over Washington\u2019s long-standing economic restrictions on the communist nation.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Alejandro Garcia del Toro, deputy director general for U.S. affairs at Cuba\u2019s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said in remarks published on April 20 by Cuban Communist Party newspaper Granma that discussions were underway.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a delicate matter which, as we have already said, we are handling discreetly,\u201d<\/strong><\/em> Garcia del Toro said.<\/p>\n

He confirmed that \u201ca meeting between Cuban and U.S. delegations recently took place here in Cuba,\u201d adding that U.S. participants included undersecretaries of state, while Cuba\u2019s delegation was led at the deputy minister level.<\/p>\n

\u201cDuring the meeting, neither party set deadlines or made coercive statements, as reported by the US press. All information exchange was conducted with respect and professionalism,\u201d <\/strong><\/em>he said.<\/p>\n

As Evgenia Filimianova reports for The Epoch Times, <\/a>Cuba framed the discussions as heavily focused on easing U.S. economic pressure, particularly restrictions affecting energy supplies.<\/p>\n

\u201cEliminating the energy blockade against the country was a matter of top priority for our delegation,\u201d <\/strong><\/em>Garcia del Toro said.<\/p>\n

He described the policy as \u201can unjustified punishment for the entire Cuban population\u201d and called it \u201ca form of global blackmail against sovereign states.\u201d<\/p>\n

The dispute reflects broader economic strains on the island, where rolling blackouts and fuel shortages have intensified public hardship in recent months.<\/p>\n

Cuba\u2019s energy crisis has become a central issue in its relations with Washington, as the government seeks relief from sanctions that limit access to fuel imports. A main supplier, Venezuela, has curtailed oil shipments<\/a> to Cuba since the United States captured dictator Nicol\u00e1s Maduro in January.<\/p>\n

The talks come as the Trump administration has increased pressure on Cuba, both rhetorically and through policy measures.<\/strong><\/p>\n

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said<\/a> during an April 8 briefing that the Cuban government is in a weakened state.<\/p>\n

Clarifying Trump\u2019s recent remark that \u201cCuba is next,\u201d she told reporters that he meant \u201cthe Cuban regime is bound to fall.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe country is very weak. They\u2019re in a very weak position economically, obviously, and financially,\u201d <\/strong><\/em>Leavitt said on April 8.<\/p>\n

The administration has framed its approach as economic and diplomatic pressure rather than military action. Speaking on March 27 in Miami, Trump said his strategy of \u201cpeace through strength\u201d relies on a \u201cgreat military\u201d combined with economic leverage and negotiation.<\/p>\n

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio reiterated a hardline stance on Cuba\u2019s political system during remarks to reporters on March 27.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe only thing worse than a communist is an incompetent communist,\u201d <\/strong><\/em>Rubio said, arguing that Cuba\u2019s system \u201chas to change\u201d for the country to achieve economic development.<\/p>\n

He added that Cuba\u2019s economic model is \u201ca nonsensical system,\u201d and said the Cuban people are suffering due to leadership decisions and lack of reform.<\/p>\n

U.S.\u2013Cuba relations have been strained for decades, dating back to the 1959 revolution led by Fidel Castro, which overthrew the U.S.-backed government of Fulgencio Batista.<\/p>\n

The situation in Cuba has drawn attention from other global leaders. In a joint statement on April 18, the governments of Mexico, Spain, and Brazil expressed \u201cdeep concern regarding the serious humanitarian crisis the Cuban people face\u201d and called for measures to alleviate suffering while respecting international law.<\/p>\n

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on April 20 that he sees no justification for U.S. intervention in Cuba, stating the country poses no \u201cdiscernible threat\u201d to others.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Tyler Durden<\/a><\/span>
\nTue, 04\/21\/2026 – 19:40<\/span><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

‘Eliminating Energy Blockade Top Priority’ As Cuba Confirms Direct Talks With US Cuba confirmed on April 20 that it recently held direct talks with U.S. officials in Havana, marking a rare diplomatic engagement as tensions persist over Washington\u2019s long-standing economic restrictions on the communist nation. Alejandro Garcia del Toro, deputy director general for U.S. affairs… Continue reading ‘Eliminating Energy Blockade Top Priority’ As Cuba Confirms Direct Talks With US<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":590000,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[20,23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-590013","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economic-empowerment","category-national-security","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buglecall.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/590013","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buglecall.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buglecall.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buglecall.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buglecall.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=590013"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buglecall.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/590013\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buglecall.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/590000"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buglecall.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=590013"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buglecall.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=590013"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buglecall.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=590013"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}