President Obama has formally rejected lifting the U.S. embargo of Cuba. On Wednesday, Obama said Cuba has failed to take constructive steps towards a more open government.

President Obama: “What we’ve tried to do is to send a signal that we are open to a new relationship with Cuba, if the Cuban government starts taking the proper steps to open up its own country and its own—and provide the space and the respect for human rights that would allow the Cuban people to determine their own destiny.”