Cuban official confirms ‘respectful and professional’ meeting between Cuba, US

Delegations from Cuba and the United States met in Havana in an environment of strong tensions amid repeated threats by President Donald Trump, who maintains an energy blockade on the island and has deprived its people of their oil needs.

In an interview with the local outlet Granma, Alejandro Garcia del Toro, deputy director general for US affairs at Cuba's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, confirmed the meeting on Monday and said reports regarding the meeting are accurate and that “the entire exchange took place in a respectful and professional manner.”

“The removal of the energy blockade against the country was a top priority for our delegation. This act of economic coercion is an unjustified punishment against the entire Cuban population. It is also a form of global blackmail against sovereign states, which have every right to export fuels to Cuba under the rules that govern free trade,” he said.

Without naming any individuals, Del Toro explained that the US delegation included deputy secretaries from the State Department, while the Cuban side was represented at the vice minister level of foreign affairs.

Del Toro also mentioned that neither side set deadlines or made “ultimatum-style demands.”

Trump has only increased hostilities toward Cuba by suggesting possible military action, as Washington’s push for regime change in the Caribbean nation has become more pronounced.

On different occasions, Trump has said that once war efforts in Iran end, he will focus on Cuba—“We may stop by Cuba after we're finished,” he told reporters last week.