Cuba said on Monday that the U.S. embargo caused the country more than $8 billion in losses between March 2025 and February 2026, a “record figure,” according to a report presented by Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez.

Axar.az reports, citing France 24, the figure, which was 7% higher than the previous year, “does not include the damage caused by the energy blockade” imposed by Washington over the past seven months, or the “secondary sanctions” imposed on Cuban entities since May, Rodriguez said while presenting the report to the press.

Since January, the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to sanction countries that supply fuel to Cuba, increasing pressure on an economy that has been under U.S. sanctions since 1962.

Only one Russian oil tanker has arrived in Cuba since the beginning of the year.

In early May, Washington also began imposing “secondary sanctions” on foreign companies doing business with Cuba, prompting numerous companies to pull out, particularly from the tourism and mining sectors, which are two major sources of foreign currency for the island’s 9.4 million people.

“The blockade does not punish a government; it punishes the daily lives of an entire people in every respect,” Rodríguez said.

Rodriguez confirmed that Cuba remains in contact with the U.S. State Department but ruled out any progress toward normalizing relations.

“There have been no negotiations, nor are there any at this time, and there are no agendas or roadmaps,” he said.

Nevertheless, Rodriguez said Cuba remains willing to continue the contacts despite what he described as a “lack of willingness” on the part of the United States.