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The U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, announced this Thursday the U.S. government's readiness to provide "immediate" humanitarian aid to Cubans affected by Hurricane Melissa, and clarified that he intends to do so without any intermediaries from the regime.
The initial statement was made via his account on the social media platform X, where the Republican official refrained from providing details but made it clear that the island joins the group of countries that will be able to receive assistance from Washington.
“We are ready to provide immediate humanitarian aid to the Cuban people affected by the hurricane,” Rubio stated succinctly.
Rubio then added a second post where he specified that "the United States is ready to provide immediate humanitarian assistance, both directly and through local partners who can distribute it more effectively to those in need."
The statement implies that they will not accept intermediaries from the regime.
In the same post, it was stated that the Trump administration "in the wake of the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa in eastern Cuba, stands in solidarity with the brave Cuban people, who continue to fight to meet their basic needs."
A statement published on the State Department's website specified that "U.S. legislation provides for exemptions and authorizations for private donations of food, medicines, and other humanitarian aid items to Cuba, as well as for disaster response."
"We encourage those who wish to support the Cuban people directly to contact us if they have any questions. They can send their inquiries to CubaHumanitarian@state.gov," the statement concluded.
The initial message -later reproduced by the U.S. Embassy in Havana- takes place just one day after Rubio himself publicly announced active coordination with the governments of Jamaica, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and the Bahamas to respond to the emergency.
At that moment, however, Cuba was not included among the countries with which the U.S. was in contact to coordinate joint actions in response to the natural disaster.
Precedents of aid and historical tensions
Recent history has shown that offers of humanitarian aid between the United States and Cuba in times of natural disaster have been exceptional and politically sensitive.
In 2022, after the devastating Hurricane Ian, the government of Havana requested emergency assistance from the administration of Joe Biden.
That request generated a limited response, but it revealed an uncommon openness amidst the diplomatic standoff.
A few months earlier, following the fire at the Supertankers Base in Matanzas, Cuba had requested technical assistance from Washington.
However, on other occasions previously, when humanitarian aid has been offered by the U.S., it has been rejected by the Cuban government, arguing that it is not provided in conditions that respect national sovereignty.
In that context, the provision now announced by Rubio fits into a tradition of occasional and limited assistance.
So far, the Cuban government has not issued any official response to Rubio's message. State media and institutional channels have not reported any statements regarding the U.S. offer.
What is clear is that the emergency in eastern Cuba requires significant resources.
Torrential rains, flooding, and damage to critical infrastructure in provinces such as Santiago de Cuba, Holguín, and Granma have left communities cut off and entire areas without access to electricity or drinking water.
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