Miguel Díaz-Canel acknowledged this Sunday, in his first interview on U.S. television, that he has never spoken with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and that he does not know him personally, a revelation that highlights the true state of negotiations between Cuba and Washington amid the worst bilateral crisis in decades.
The interview was granted to the program "Meet the Press" from NBC News, hosted by Kristen Welker in Havana, and was aired today in its full 53-minute version.
In response to the direct question of whether he was speaking with Rubio and if he trusted him, Díaz-Canel replied straightforwardly: "Yes, I have not spoken with Secretary Rubio. I do not know him."
The Cuban leader stated that Cuba is willing to negotiate with "the representative that the United States decides," but clarified that first, a dialogue channel must be established and a common agenda built.
This admission contrasts with the statements made by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, who confirmed last Tuesday that the negotiations with Cuba are continuing at the highest level.
Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister Josefina Vidal described those conversations as being in a very preliminary, very initial phase, without formal structured negotiation last Tuesday.
Díaz-Canel categorically rejected the conditions that Washington has proposed for an agreement: the release of political prisoners, multiparty elections, recognition of unions, and a free press.
"Nobody has made those demands of us. And we have established that respect for our political system and our constitutional order are matters that are not up for negotiation with the United States," he stated.
Regarding the more than 1,200 political prisoners recorded by the organization Prisoners Defenders, including the rapper Maykel "Osorbo" Castillo Pérez —imprisoned since 2021 for co-writing "Patria y Vida," a song that won two Latin Grammys—, Díaz-Canel denied that they are political prisoners, labeling them as individuals who committed "vandalism" financed by "terrorist organizations and agencies of the U.S. government."
"That narrative that has been created, that image that anyone who speaks against the revolution is imprisoned. That is a great lie, that is a slander," he declared.
The interview takes place during the highest tension between both countries since the Missile Crisis. Following the capture of Nicolás Maduro by the U.S. in January 2026, Cuba lost between 26,000 and 35,000 barrels of Venezuelan crude oil daily. Mexico suspended its shipments on January 9 under pressure from Washington, leaving the island without 80-90% of its oil imports.
Díaz-Canel acknowledged that the Russian tanker that arrived at the end of March with 730,000 barrels of crude oil as "humanitarian aid" "will only cover one third of Cuba's oil requirements in a month," and that 1,200 megawatts of generating capacity have been out of operation for four months.
In light of President Trump's threats to "take Cuba" and the context of Maduro's capture and the invasion of Iran, Díaz-Canel declared that he is not afraid: "I am not afraid. I am willing to give my life for the revolution."
When Welker asked him if he would be willing to resign to save Cuba, the leader replied with another question: “Is that question coming from you or from the U.S. State Department?”
The last time a Cuban leader appeared on "Meet the Press" was Fidel Castro in 1959, 67 years ago.
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