HAVANA - Cuba has condemned the United States' blockade on energy supplies to the island. According to Havana, these measures complicate the work of international agencies and organizations in the Caribbean country while also restricting domestic economic activity.

"It does not only limit the performance of the Cuban economy. It also hinders the work of international agencies and organizations, which demonstrates its extraterritorial nature," said Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez on the social network X.

According to United Nations data cited by Rodriguez, basic goods worth approximately 6.3 million US dollars, which arrived in Cuba in 170 containers, "are not reaching recipients due to a lack of fuel."

Rodriguez emphasized that the US energy blockade against Cuba has a real and serious impact on the Cuban population and is part of a "collective punishment" that Washington imposes on ordinary citizens.

In early June, reports from international and local media indicated that the UN World Food Programme and other agencies, such as the UN Development Programme, were having difficulty distributing aid in Cuba due to fuel shortages.

The United States, which has maintained an economic, commercial and financial blockade against Cuba for more than six decades, tightened pressure on the Cuban economy in January by introducing sanctions against countries supplying fuel to the island.

Cuba, which is largely dependent on oil imports, has so far this year received only approximately 100,000 tonnes of crude oil delivered by the Russian vessel Anatoly Kolodkin.

According to official sources, Cuba needs approximately eight fuel ships per month to function normally.

gnews.cz - GH