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The Cuban Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carlos Fernández de Cossío, published a lengthy response to the U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, whom he accused of acting "without any evidence" when labeling the Cuban government as wasteful of resources.
The exchange occurs two days after Rubio, from Rome, revealed that the U.S. offered 100 million dollars in humanitarian aid to Cuba, an offer that the regime reportedly rejected due to its refusal to allow distribution without state or military intermediaries.
Cossío described that proposal as a "dirty political deal" and rejected Rubio's attempt to "justify the ongoing collective punishment against the entire Cuban people and the possibility of military aggression."
In his publication, the deputy minister listed the areas in which Cuba, according to him, has prioritized its investments: the national electric system, renewable sources, telecommunications, support for vulnerable communities, food production, hydraulic infrastructure, development of medicines and vaccines against COVID "in record time," tourism, assembly of electric vehicles, and construction materials.
Cossío argued that all of this occurs under what he termed "an intense economic war imposed by the U.S. and reinforced in the last 10 years." He defended the free maintenance of health and education services, describing Cuba as "a country at peace, where order and civic tranquility are enjoyed—something that has become a luxury for several nations."
The response included a direct counterattack against Washington: "The country represented by the Secretary of State, the richest and most powerful in the world, dedicates its national resources to increasing the wealth of the plutocratic elite that governs it, and to unleashing wars and conflicts across all continents."
Cossío also stated that 40 million American citizens do not have access to healthcare services, that education is "unaffordable or acknowledged as insufficient for the majority," and that "shootings in schools and public places with fatalities are becoming normalized."
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez had already described Rubio's offer as a "fable" on Friday, publicly asking: "Where are they, what would they be used for?"
This exchange of statements occurs within the context of a sustained escalation of tensions between Havana and the Trump-Rubio administration throughout 2026. In January, Cuba described the possibility of a naval blockade aimed at cutting oil imports as an "act of war."
In March, Rubio openly demanded a change in the regime, system, and economic model on the island, stating that "the success of Cubans is outside of their country." In April, the regime took its complaints to the UN about the "maritime blockade" imposed by Washington.
Cossío has been the most active spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on social media during this period, using Facebook and X to respond directly to Washington.
On March 28, he arrived to challenge the United States to "allow the Cuban government to collapse without external intervention" if he deems it incompetent, and for the first time acknowledged the existence of political prisoners in Cuba, describing them as a "non-negotiable internal matter."
In his post this Sunday, Cossío concluded with a statement that encapsulates the official stance of the regime: "The corruption of the ruling elite cannot be hidden, not even with the oligarchic monopoly of the media."
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