April 23 (UPI) -- President Miguel Díaz-Canel said any negotiations with the United States would depend on Washington accepting Cuba's conditions, warning that otherwise "there is no negotiation."
"We are in a very preliminary phase of what could become a broader process of talks," the Díaz-Canel said Wednesday during an interview with Brazilian outlet Opera Mundi's program 20 Minutos.
Díaz-Canel increased his presence in international media this month as Cuba faces a worsening energy crisis and growing pressure from Washington.
His comments came after Cuba confirmed a recent meeting in Havana between a delegation from the U.S. Department of State and officials from the Cuban Foreign Ministry.
According to USA Today, Washington gave the Cuban government a two-week deadline to release high-profile political prisoners as a gesture of good faith. Cuban officials, however, said the priority issue during the meeting was ending what Havana describes as the U.S. energy blockade against the island.
