Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel announced that no progress had been made in dialogue between the two countries despite contacts with the US government, and that the process had stalled.
Diaz-Canel rejected the assessment that Cuba was on the verge of collapse. The Cuban leader said the country was going through a difficult period, describing the current situation as "extremely complex" and "painful."
Accusations against the Trump administration
Diaz-Canel argued that US President Donald Trump’s administration was trying to bring Cuba under its control and criticized Washington’s policies.
The Cuban president said his country was going through a process shaped by great creativity and the historical resilience of the Cuban people. Diaz-Canel said, "There can be no dialogue under pressure."
Reform package does not aim for a transition to capitalism
Diaz-Canel assessed the scope of the 176-point reform package approved in Cuba in June under an emergency procedure. Saying that the measures were not "capitalist reforms," Diaz-Canel stressed that there would be no capitalist restoration in the country.
Diaz-Canel said the package aimed to liberalize and decentralize the economy, adding that 76.1% of the provisions had been given a legal basis.
Economic contraction affects essential services
Cuba’s economy is estimated to have contracted by more than 15% between 2020 and 2025. The oil blockade imposed by the United States at the beginning of the year and secondary sanctions imposed on key sectors of the economy since May are believed to have increased the country’s economic vulnerability.
Power outages and the near-total suspension of public transportation are making daily life more difficult in the country. While hospitals are providing only minimal services, food and medicine prices have risen to high levels, particularly in informal markets.
