Cuba denounces 'record' economic damage from US embargo

The US embargo on Cuba incurred "record" losses of over $8 billion on the communist island between March last year and February this year, according to a government report presented Monday.

Cuba has been under a US trade embargo since 1962, with President Donald Trump piling on pressure on top of the decades-old measure since early this year. The damages set out in the report exceed last year's peak by seven percent, said Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez. The minister said Cuban authorities remain in contact with the US State Department but ruled out any normalization of ties. Cuba remains willing to continue engaging in dialogue "despite the lack of progress" and "lack of willingness" on the part of the US, he said.