The Trump administration has imposed more sanctions on Cuba, ignoring warnings from the United Nations, which denounced the U.S. fuel blockade on the island as “energy starvation.” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Thursday the new sanctions target an enterprise group linked to the Cuban military that oversees significant portions of Cuba’s economy.

Meanwhile, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva met with President Trump at the White House Thursday. Lula later spoke from the Brazilian Embassy in Washington, D.C., where he said Trump privately signaled he had no plans to launch a U.S. military operation on Cuba.

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva: “If he needs help to discuss Cuba’s situation, I am at his disposal, because I heard, if the translator is right, that he said he is not thinking of invading Cuba. That was said by the interpreter, and I think it’s a great sign.”