The U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, stated this Tuesday that Washington is willing to send more humanitarian aid to Cuba, but the Cuban regime is preventing it, and announced that he will bring this issue up at his next meeting with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican.
«We gave Cuba 6 million dollars in humanitarian aid, but they won't let us distribute it. We want to do more… we are willing to provide more aid through the Church, but the regime has to allow it,» Rubio stated during the press conference at the White House, where he temporarily replaced spokesperson Karoline Leavitt.
Rubio explained that the strategy of channeling assistance exclusively through the Catholic Church and Cáritas Cuba aims to ensure that resources reach the people directly, without going through the regime's hands.
That program was launched after Hurricane Melissa, which devastated eastern Cuba at the end of 2025, and the U.S. initially allocated 3 million dollars in humanitarian aid for those affected in that region.
In February 2026, Washington announced a second allocation, bringing the total commitment to 9 million dollars, according to the State Department as it opened the door to more aid for Cuba.
The shipments included staple foods, water kits, hygiene items, and solar lanterns, benefiting approximately 6,000 families — up to 24,000 people — in the eastern dioceses of Holguín-Las Tunas, Bayamo-Manzanillo, Santiago de Cuba, and Guantánamo-Baracoa.
The regime questioned the U.S. aid to the Cuban people: Deputy Minister Carlos Fernández de Cossío described it as "proverbial hypocrisy," arguing that U.S. sanctions exceed 5 billion dollars annually.
Rubio strongly rejected that argument and described the Cuban system as "failed," adding that "the only thing worse than a communist is an incompetent communist."
The U.S. Embassy supported the work of Cáritas Cuba in April, highlighting its efforts to reach “the most needy ordinary Cubans,” in a context where even the Church cannot navigate all the obstacles imposed by the regime on the distribution of assistance.
Rubio's trip to the Vatican, scheduled for Thursday, comes at a time of tension between President Trump and Pope Leo XIV, the first pontiff born in the United States with Cuban heritage on his mother's side.
This Tuesday, Trump publicly criticized the pontiff, accusing him of putting Catholics at risk due to his stance on Iran, although Rubio clarified those statements and framed them within the president's opposition to Tehran obtaining nuclear weapons.
The pope, who in February expressed "great concern" over the tensions between Cuba and the U.S. and called for "sincere and effective dialogue," will receive Marco Rubio at the Vatican on Thursday, May 7th at 11:30 AM in the Apostolic Palace.
Cuba is experiencing its worst crisis in decades, with power outages lasting up to 25 hours a day across more than 55% of the territory and a projected economic contraction of 7.2% for 2026, exacerbated by a drop of between 80% and 90% in oil imports following the disruption of Venezuelan supplies.
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