Bruno Rodríguez commemorates the explosion of the Maine, and Cubans respond: "You sink Cuba every day."

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez commemorated the explosion of the Maine to once again blame the U.S. for all the ills of the island, and the Cubans responded with indignation.

"The explosion of the battleship Maine in the Bay of Havana 128 years ago is part of the extensive history of deceitful pretexts created by the U.S. government, even at the expense of the lives of its own citizens, to intervene militarily in any nation," Rodríguez said on X.

"It was the excuse used to intervene in the independence war of #Cuba when Spanish colonial power was on the brink of military defeat. They took away from the Cuban patriots the credit for victory and imposed an imperialist occupation in the country for four years that weighed down the national history for more than half a century," he added.

For the regime's chancellor, any historic date is a good opportunity to blame the U.S. for its "continuing warlike, imperialist, and interventionist policy, which endangers peace, stability, and regional and international security."

However, Cubans are more concerned about the history of precariousness in which more than six decades of Castroism has plunged the people.

"Stop blaming a ship that sank a century ago for the country you sunk six decades ago. The Maine sank once. You sink Cuba every day. History will not absolve you. The facts have already condemned you," a user shot back.

For someone else, "using 1898 as a smokescreen in 2026 doesn't solve blackouts, doesn't free political prisoners, nor does it explain why a very wealthy country ended up in ruins."

"The independence of Cuba was fought for by Cubans, yes. And later, it was also mortgaged by an elite that turned sovereignty into a rallying cry while giving away freedom. Less museum rhetoric and more accountability. The past cannot be an eternal excuse for present failures," argued this second internet user.

A Cuban pointed out to Rodríguez that his particular version of history omits, for example, the fact that "Calixto García and Céspedes themselves also wanted the help and intervention of the United States in the war."

"You can also say that the Cubans applauded and cheered the Americans' entry into the city," he responded.