US weighs new travel curbs on Cuban UN diplomats as Havana cries "collective punishment"
State Department considers tightening rules for Cuban officials ahead of the annual UN vote on the US embargo, as Havana's foreign minister blasts an oil blockade he calls equivalent to a naval siege.
What to know
- The State Department is considering new travel restrictions on Cuban officials heading to the UN, targeting those returning next month for the annual vote on the US embargo.
- Cuba's foreign minister calls the US oil blockade, in place since January, equivalent to a naval blockade and blames it for repeated collapses of the island's power grid.
- No US-Cuba talks are currently scheduled, though Rodríguez says Havana remains open to dialogue even as Trump calls Cuba a "failed state" seeking fundamental change.
“These measures hamper some processes that could lead to discussion of things in the common interests of both nations”
Bruno Rodríguez, Cuban Foreign Minister · Associated Press interview ↗ · Sep 23
Donald Trump US PresidentBruno Rodríguez Cuban Foreign MinisterU.S. State Department US foreign policy agency
How it unfolded 2 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump articlesposts
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State Department weighs new curbs on Cuban UN travel
US officials and an internal document obtained by the AP show the State Department is considering "strict controls" on Cuban officials who plan to return to New York next month for the annual UN vote on the US embargo, even after approving a sizable Cuban delegation for this week's General Assembly.
“What defines the present status of the Cuba-U.S. relations is the brutal tightening of the economic and financial blockade and the total oil siege imposed on our country, which is equivalent to a naval blockade…”
— Bruno Rodríguez, Cuban Foreign Minister · source -
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Rodríguez accuses US of collective punishment
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez, speaking on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, says the oil blockade amounts to a naval blockade and criticizes the lack of progress in US-Cuba negotiations.
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Trump tells the UN he wants "fundamental change" in Cuba — In his UN General Assembly address, President Trump again calls Cuba a "failed state" and says he is seeking a fundamental change in the situation there.
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Cuba's power grid collapses repeatedly under the blockade — Millions of Cubans have lost electricity as the island's power grid has collapsed at least six times since the US energy blockade began, disrupting cooking, water supply, internet and phone service.
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US imposes an oil blockade on Cuba — The Trump administration begins an energy blockade on Cuba at the start of the year, cutting off fuel imports needed to run the island's thermoelectric plants.
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