Cuba’s Deputy Foreign Minister Josefina Vidal denounced the intensification of U.S. coercive measures against the island in an interview granted to PBS News Hour.

The diplomat also asserted that Washington maintains a policy of pressure that directly affects the living conditions of the Cuban people.

During the exchange, Vidal stated that despite contacts and conversations held between both countries, the United States has continued to apply restrictive actions “that affect Cuba and the Cuban people significantly.”

Vidal noted that pressure on the Caribbean nation “has increased and strengthened” through the imposition of an “energy blockade” and the application of new secondary sanctions targeting foreign entities and individuals with commercial ties or operations with Cuba.

Nevertheless, she highlighted the country’s efforts to confront the complex economic and energy situation, including the accelerated push toward renewable energy sources.

“We have doubled the production of energy through renewable sources in just a few months, mainly through a very accelerated investment in photovoltaic energy,” she explained.

Elsewhere in the interview, the diplomat rejected accusations from the United States related to the downing of Brothers to the Rescue aircraft three decades ago, calling them “illegitimate, illegal, and totally fraudulent.”

According to her, all responsibility for those events rests with the U.S. government, because Cuba “exhausted all diplomatic channels” to alert about repeated violations of its airspace.

The deputy minister also reiterated that Cuba “is not and has never been a threat to the United States” and recalled that the only foreign military base on Cuban territory is Guantánamo Naval Base, maintained by Washington “against the will of the Cuban government and people.”

She also questioned the lack of evidence from the United States to support accusations against the island and asserted that such arguments constitute “a pretext” to justify an escalation of sanctions.

Vidal stated that hostility has historically marked bilateral relations and underscored that the defense of national sovereignty is a permanent priority for Cuba.

She also criticized recent statements by the U.S. Secretary of State, considering they reflect a lack of knowledge about Cuban history and an intention to impose a political, economic, and foreign relations model on Cubans.

“We are proud of our independence and our determination to defend it,” emphasized Cuba’s deputy foreign minister.