Overview of the Current State of the Cuba-US Relations.

Special presentation by Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernandez de Cossío at the inaugural session of the 23rd Series of Dialogues "Cuba in the Foreign Policy of the United States of America".  Havana, Cuba. December 16, 2026. 

Once again, I appreciate the invitation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to share some thoughts at the outset of this important academic event.

I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the important work of individuals from Cuba, the United States, and other countries who, for years, have dedicated time and effort to understand and unravel the problems that make achieving a respectful relationship between our two nations so difficult.

In light of this long-standing question, I intend to contribute some reflections on the current situation.

On December 12, a JetBlue airliner narrowly avoided a collision with a U.S. Air Force refueling tanker in the southern Caribbean Sea with a dangerous mid-air maneuver.

Days earlier, a commercial fuel tanker had been boarded at sea by U.S. military forces. It was finally kidnapped and the US captured its cargo in an evident act of piracy.

Since September, the US has killed more than 80 people at sea by means of remote executions by its armed forces.

It engages in almost daily provocations against the sister Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, keeping that country under a constant and open threat of military aggression.

Furthermore, it maintains an offensive and aggressive military deployment in the Caribbean Sea of extravagant dimensions and without any justification.

It is moving forward with the establishment of military bases in countries whose governments accept its imposition.

The ambition is manifest and the forceful access to critical and strategic natural resources belonging to countries in the region has been openly declared:

There is no threat against the US from any country in the hemisphere.

Nor is there any real threat in the hemisphere against the US from any country outside the region.

All references and allusions of this nature in statements and pronouncements are pure fallacies, all aimed at justifying an aggressive and threatening stance against nations in the region.

They seek to position these as a pretext for openly criminal acts, such as some that have already been committed.

We know that resorting to lies and unfounded accusations is not a new practice for the US government.

The National Security Doctrine, released at the beginning of December, serves the same purpose.

It is not true that this Doctrine, its accompanying corollary for our hemisphere, and the threatening behavior of the US- already evident- will help that country achieve its goal of becoming great again, or even of becoming great for the first time.

Contrary to what is being claimed, they will lead to greater instability in the region.

They will foster lack of governability, uncontrolled migration flows and a atmosphere conducive to criminal activity.

They will threaten the national security of almost every country and that, sooner or later, will include the United States.

In historical terms, the actions proposed by the United States with its new Strategy represent, for our hemisphere, a step backward of crucial dimensions.

Under these conditions, how can academia assess the prospects for a respectful and constructive relationship between Cuba and the United States?

A year ago, we stated at this event that in the interaction between the two countries, there was clearly an aggressor and a victim.

That equation is even clearer today.

There is no hostile action or conduct on the part of Cuba against the United States.

Even under the most ruthless economic warfare and constant provocation and aggression, Cuba has shown its willingness to cooperate with the United States, including on sensitive issues such as its national security.

Meanwhile, the aggressive US policy against Cuba has intensified this year.

It is known that those who advocate this threatening behavior in the region—Marco Rubio, Elliot Abrams, and other obscure figures—have their sights set on aggression against Cuba.

That is why they work tirelessly and irresponsibly to corner US foreign policy into a scenario of limited options.

They manipulate, misinform and deceive the American public.

They lead members of Congress, other politicians, and the government apparatus as a whole to believe in the illusion that, with sufficient economic and political pressure—like the brutal pressure they are now exerting—plus the threat of military aggression, they will succeed in subjugating countries determined to defend their sovereign rights.

History has already shown that this is a very difficult goal to achieve. And that attempting to do so comes at a high price.

Since the end of January of this year, the US government, under the impetus of its Secretary of State, has intensified its aggressive strategy against the Cuban economy.

This strategy relies not only on the harsh economic coercive measures, which have certainly been tightened.

It has also strengthened actions aimed at directly sabotaging the country’s macroeconomic functioning and the conditions for its management, actions which we have widely denounced.

The media war has intensified using the near-monopoly power and overwhelming control of traditional media outlets and digital platforms and infrastructure.

This hostility has also been directed against Cubans residing in the US, who face the threat of deportation after having been invited to live there.

Betrayed by the politicians who claimed to represent them, they are imprisoned and subjected to harmful and degrading treatment for this reason.

Those who currently hold residency status are threatened with having it revoked if they travel to Cuba, their country of origin.

What harm can Cuban residents in the US cause simply by traveling to Cuba to see their parents, relatives, or just to visit the country where they were born?

Their bank accounts are closed, and they are denied employment.

Those who engage in any commercial activity with Cuba are attacked, persecuted, and harassed under the very coercive laws of the US.

As anyone can see, there is not the slightest intention of improving the bilateral climate.

Those currently in charge of foreign policy, Cuba’s affairs, and the conduct of the aggression against our country are perfectly aware of our position.

And it’s no secret. We have consistently expressed it for decades.

It is based on the willingness to develop a constructive and respectful relationship with the US, and to engage in dialogue on that basis regarding any issues on which we disagree, as well as those on which we agree.

It is also based on the determination to resolutely reject any attempt to subjugate us, undermine our sovereign prerogatives, or force us to abandon our socialist path.