Feb. 5 (UPI) -- Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel said Thursday he is willing to begin negotiations with the United States "without pressure" as the Caribbean island faces mounting economic challenges.
He made the remarks during a press conference with local media that was streamed on the Cuban presidency's YouTube channel. Díaz-Canel acknowledged Cuba has not received Venezuelan oil since December, which he said has worsened an acute fuel shortage.
The president said the loss of Venezuelan oil supplies has placed the country in a "complex" energy situation that affects electricity generation, as well as basic economic activities across the island. Venezuela has been Cuba's main oil partner for years under cooperation agreements between the two governments.
Díaz-Canel said his government is prepared to talk with Washington "on any issue of mutual interest," provided discussions occur "without pressure," "without conditions" and "on equal footing."
He described dialogue as a "historic" position of the Cuban state, but one shaped by what he called an "asymmetrical" relationship marked by decades of the U.S. economic embargo on Cuba.
