Cuba is not a threat to the US and remains ready for dialogue with Washington based on sovereign equality and respect for international law, the country's foreign minister has said.
Addressing the UN General Assembly, Bruno Rodriguez said on Saturday that Havana was willing to resolve bilateral differences through dialogue without interference in domestic affairs or any preconditions.
"Cuba is not a threat. The blockade is a threat," he said, adding that his country was prepared to pursue trade, commercial relations and cooperation with the US, as it would with any other country.
Rodriguez also condemned the US economic blockade against Cuba as an "act of collective punishment", saying it was deliberately designed to inflict suffering on Cuban families.
He accused Washington of pursuing a policy aimed at triggering a humanitarian crisis in Cuba, describing the measures as a violation of international humanitarian law.
Trump
Earlier, President Donald Trump predicted that the US and Cuba will reach an agreement and that he does not think military action will be necessary.
"I would say that Cuba and we will make a deal. I don't think we'll need the military," Trump told reporters at the White House.
A US-imposed oil blockade implemented earlier this year has put the country under severe strain as it contends with fuel shortages and blackouts exacerbated by failing infrastructure.
In an address to the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, Trump called Cuba a failed state and said "freedom will be coming" to the island nation.
The Cuban delegation walked out of the hall during that speech.
