The Cuban Foreign Minister, Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, stated that keeping the country operational amidst the energy crisis is a merit of the regime itself, in an exclusive interview given to NBC News on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.
"I would say that the conditions in which Cuba operates today and the fact that the country is functioning with relative stability is an impressive result thanks to the effectiveness of the formulas applied by our government and, above all, the participation of the people in solving or mitigating the problems," stated the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
The interview, conducted by Andrea Mitchell, chief foreign affairs correspondent for NBC, took place on Wednesday, September 24, one day after President Donald Trump labeled Cuba as an "absolutely failed state" before the 81st United Nations General Assembly and predicted the regime's downfall.
The Cuban delegation left the room in protest as Trump spoke those words.
As usual, Rodríguez attributed the island's electricity crisis solely to U.S. sanctions, dismissing any internal responsibility of the regime.
"Today there is a brutal energy blockade equivalent to a naval blockade, which is an act of war. For many months, not a single shipment of fuel has entered Cuba," he stated.
The chancellor also presented the government's solar expansion as an achievement: "We have made an impressive investment in photovoltaic energy, which now supports more than half of the electricity generation during daylight hours."
However, that statement stands in contrast to independent data that place the actual contribution of renewable energies at around 9% of total generation in August 2026, well below the 50% claimed by Rodríguez.
Additionally, in September 2026, there were reported electric deficits exceeding 2,000 MW, with blackouts occurring nearly all day in numerous provinces.
Regarding the diplomatic conversations with Washington, Rodríguez confirmed that there have been contacts, but without results.
"I shouldn't go into details, but I can confirm that there have been some conversations and reiterate our willingness to continue them in the future despite the lack of results due to the misunderstanding and restrictive attitude of the U.S. side," he said.
The chancellor also responded to the statements made by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who claimed that there are individuals in the regime with whom the U.S. "will never be able to work because they have blood on their hands." Rodríguez's response was brief: "He lies, he lies again."
This Friday, as revealed by CBS News, the U.S. Army Reserve is assessing the availability of military units for Southern Command within a timeframe of 90 to 120 days, in a planning that officials linked to Cuba, although no deployment orders have been confirmed.
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