ANSA Mondo5 hours agoPolitics1 min readItaly

Cuban Foreign Minister attends Brics summit to call for membership and attack US sanctions

Quick Look

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez attended the Brics summit in New Delhi to call for joining the group as a full member, denouncing US sanctions as an 'energy siege' and a 'silent genocide' that has reduced the survival rate of children with cancer from 85% to 65% due to the blockade of 7,000 containers of food and medicine.

AI-generated summary

Why It Matters

Cuba has been under a U.S. embargo for more than six decades, recently exacerbated by new enforcement measures that blocked thousands of containers of humanitarian aid. The country seeks alliances in the Brics to access alternative financial systems and reduce dependence on the dollar.

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Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez attended the BRICS summit in New Delhi to forge alliances, meeting with counterparts from four nations, including Brazil and India.

During the assembly, Rodríguez expressed Havana's willingness to join the group as a full member to access an alternative financial system and promote global dedollarization.

In his speech, the minister harshly attacked Washington for its recent executive measures. Rodríguez denounced an "energy siege" comparable to a naval blockade, calling the US sanctions a "collective punishment for the people of Cuba" and a "silent genocide".

The paralysis of 7,000 containers loaded with food and medicines had dramatic humanitarian effects, causing the survival rate of children with cancer to drop from 85% to 65%.

To address the emergency, the Cuban government is accelerating important economic and social changes to resolve internal structural problems. Stressing that the country does not pose a danger to international security, Rodríguez concluded the speech by stating that "Cuba is not a threat, the blockade is."

What to Watch

AI outlook — possibilities, not facts

Cuba will formally submit its application to join the BRICS in the coming months
Likely · Within months
US sanctions against Cuba will remain in place or be further tightened in the near term
Likely · Within months

Open Questions

What conditions are required by the Brics for Cuba's admission as a full member?
How does the Cuban government plan to finance the announced economic and social changes?
What were the specific effects of the blockade on oncology drugs and other essential treatments?