US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that Cuba represents a “threat to national security” for the US, and the probability of a peaceful agreement is “not high”, writes the BBC
His comments come just a day after the US charged former Cuban President Raúl Castro with a series of serious crimes related to the 1996 downing of two planes that killed American citizens.
Rubio said Washington's preference was “a diplomatic solution,” but warned that President Donald Trump has the right and obligation to protect his country against any threat.
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez accused Rubio of “lies” and said the island had never posed a threat to the US.
In a statement to reporters Thursday, Rubio said diplomacy “remains our preference with Cuba,” but added, “I'm honest with you, you know, the likelihood of that staying that way, given who we're dealing with right now, is not great.”
He also accused Cuba of being “one of the main sponsors of terrorism in the entire region,” something Rodríguez vehemently denied in a post on X.
The Cuban foreign minister criticized Rubio for trying to “incite military aggression” and accused the US government of “ruthless and systematic” attacks on his country.
Cuba is suffering from a fuel crisis, exacerbated by an effective US oil embargo, while under pressure from the Trump administration to strike a deal.
Its citizens have faced prolonged power outages and food shortages in recent months.
Rubio said the country had accepted a US offer of $100 million in humanitarian aid.
Trump has repeatedly tried to pressure Cuba and has openly discussed overthrowing the communist regime.
The indictment of the former Cuban president is seen by some as a reminder of Trump's arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in January.
Asked by reporters if — and how — his government would bring Castro to the U.S. to face the charges, Rubio said: “I'm not going to talk about how we're going to bring him here, if we're going to try to bring him here. Why would I tell the press what our plans are on that?”
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, who announced the charges Wednesday in Miami, said the US “expects him to come here, on his own initiative or otherwise.”
On Thursday, Rubio also announced on X that the US had arrested Adys Lastres Morera, the sister of one of the top officials of a Cuban military conglomerate that controls most of the lucrative segments of the country's economy.
Morera was living in Florida “while also helping the communist regime in Havana,” Rubio claimed. She was arrested by immigration authorities and will remain in custody pending deportation proceedings.
In a statement to reporters from the Oval Office, Trump said Cuba was a “failed country” and that his administration was trying to help it “on a humanitarian basis.”
He said Cuban-Americans “want to go back to their country” and help Cuba succeed.
“Other presidents have been trying to solve this problem for 50, 60 years, and it looks like I'm going to be the one to solve it. I'd be happy to do it,” Trump said.
