Cuba on Thursday criticized the United States for lacking conviction in talks aimed at easing tensions between the quarrelling neighbors.
Havana-Washington relations, on life support following the imposition of a US energy blockade on the island in January, worsened with the unsealing of criminal charges against former Cuban president Raul Castro by a Florida court last week.
There are fears that the indictment, which relates to an incident dating back to 1996, could serve as a pretext for a US toppling of the Cuban government, as President Donald Trump has openly mused about seizing the island.
Both sides say they are maintaining diplomatic contact despite the fraught context.
“We hope that the path of dialogue will prevail at this time, when the aggressive actions that the US government is taking against Cuba cast doubt on the seriousness and responsibility with which it is approaching this process,” Cuba’s deputy foreign minister Josefina Vidal told a parliamentary hearing.
The government was pursuing dialogue, but “not so that the US can try to control Cuba’s destiny through pressure, coercion and the threat of military aggression,” Vidal added.
Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez appealed to the international community for urgent assistance to prevent a disaster on the island during a speech before the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio last week said Washington’s preference was “always a diplomatic solution” but warned that Trump had other options at his disposal.
Rubio, a Cuban American and staunch adversary of Havana’s communist government, added that Cuba had tentatively accepted an offer of $100 million in US aid in exchange for reforms.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe held an exceptional meeting in Havana with senior Cuban officials earlier this month.
The encounter followed high-level diplomatic talks in Havana on April 10 the first time a US government plane had landed on the island since 2016.
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