Cuba condemns US economic coercion as health crisis warning at BRICS summit

Cuban Vice‑Minister of Foreign Affairs Carlos Fernández de Cossío denounced the United States Secretary of State for publicly celebrating “coercive economic measures” against Cuba, calling the actions a collective punishment that threatens a humanitarian crisis. He wrote on Facebook that “as an individual and as a politician, one must have a very twisted spirit to celebrate publicly each time one protagonises actions to provoke collective punishments.”

At the BRICS health ministers’ meeting in Chandigarh, India, Cuban Health Minister José Ángel Portal Miranda warned that the tightened U.S. blockades on oil and other supplies are worsening Cuba’s health system, increasing infant mortality, reducing survival of pediatric cancer patients and delaying surgeries. He urged stronger multilateral cooperation among BRICS and other partners to mitigate the impact of the sanctions.