Cuba has expressed openness to discussions on changes to its economy and government and is willing to engage in continued negotiations with the United States, but remains skeptical about the U.S. commitment to sincere dialogue, according to Ernesto Soberón Guzmán, Cuba’s ambassador to the United Nations.

In an interview on Wednesday, Soberón Guzmán emphasized that Cuba is prepared to address all topics in talks with the United States, insisting that conversations should be grounded in reciprocity and equality. However, he criticized recent rhetoric from Washington, including remarks by former President Donald Trump that suggested a potential takeover of Cuba, which he said undermine trust and dialogue.

“Warmongering rhetoric does not help,” Soberón Guzmán said, accusing the U.S. of creating pretexts for possible military aggression. The interview marked the first on-the-record discussion with a senior Cuban official granted to a major U.S. news outlet in several years and was intended to convey Cuba’s desire for peace and cooperation despite increasing pressure from the Trump administration.

Tensions escalated further on Wednesday when U.S. prosecutors charged former Cuban President Raúl Castro with ordering the downing of two civilian aircraft over Cuban territory in 1996, an incident that resulted in the deaths of four people, including three Americans. This legal move was viewed as part of a wider American strategy aimed at compelling Cuba to relinquish control or implement significant reforms.

The Trump administration also intensified its embargo, effectively restricting most oil shipments to Cuba. The resulting energy shortages have contributed to widespread food scarcity, disruptions in healthcare services, exorbitant black-market gasoline prices, and electricity outages lasting up to 22 hours per day. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking in a video message marked on the anniversary of the end of U.S. military occupation of Cuba, denied U.S. responsibility for these hardships and framed the administration’s approach as an offer of a “new relationship” directly with the Cuban people rather than with GAESA, a military-run conglomerate that manages a large portion of Cuba’s economy.

Soberón Guzmán rejected Rubio’s assertion as an “insult to human intelligence,” attributing the island’s energy crisis largely to U.S. actions that stopped Venezuelan oil supplies and pressured other countries to cease shipments as well. He noted that Cuba was increasingly relying on domestic oil and renewable energy sources, particularly solar, to maintain its power grid.

While the U.S. has proposed $100 million in aid for food and medicine, to be distributed through church and trusted non-governmental organizations rather than Cuban authorities, Soberón Guzmán called the offer both necessary and insulting. He pointed to the longstanding U.S. embargo and the oil blockade as principal causes of Cuba’s economic difficulties, while also acknowledging internal economic challenges related to Cuba’s state-controlled system.

Despite these tensions, the two countries have maintained dialogue in recent months. John Ratcliffe, the director of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, recently visited Havana seeking assurances that Cuba would undertake major economic reforms and constrain Russian and Chinese intelligence activities on the island. The CIA stated that Ratcliffe affirmed America’s readiness to engage seriously on economic and security issues contingent on fundamental Cuban changes.

Soberón Guzmán mentioned potential areas for mutual cooperation, including migration, tourism, agriculture, pharmaceutical production, and anti-drug trafficking efforts, though he declined to specify possible economic or political reforms. He also dismissed U.S. calls for democratic change, criticizing aspects of the American political system such as the Electoral College, redistricting, and political financing. He said Cuba was not inclined to emulate U.S. democracy and questioned its relevance to Washington’s pressure campaign, noting that the U.S. maintains positive relations with several non-democratic countries.

“We are willing to talk about everything,” Soberón Guzmán said, “but democracy in Cuba is not the reason why the United States is applying this pressure.”