In an exclusive interview hosted by Brazilian journalist and author Breno Altman on his popular current affairs program *20 Minutos* (published by Opera Mundi), Cuban President and First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez has laid out Cuba’s long-standing position on diplomatic engagement with the United States. The discussion, the second recorded meeting between Altman and Díaz-Canel, was held at the Palace of the Revolution and covered a sweeping range of pressing topics facing the Caribbean nation, from the ongoing economic damage caused by the decades-long U.S. blockade and the more recent tightening of oil sanctions to Cuba’s domestic structural transformations, global solidarity movements, and the early history of bilateral negotiations between Havana and Washington. Cuba’s state-owned newspaper Granma has made the full unedited video of the conversation available to the public on its official website, following the original broadcast via the Cuban Presidency’s YouTube channel. Opening his remarks on bilateral relations, Díaz-Canel emphasized that Cuba has maintained a consistent willingness to enter into constructive dialogue with the U.S. government throughout modern history, but any such talks must be premised on full respect for Cuba’s core national sovereignty and independent political system. The interview comes at a time of sustained economic pressure on Cuba from U.S. trade restrictions, making the country’s stance on diplomatic engagement a key point of international interest for global observers and regional policymakers.
Cuba has been willing to engage in dialogue with the U.S. government, provided that this is done with respect for our sovereignty and independence
