The U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, stated this Thursday that the Cuban economy has no possible way out as long as the regime controlling it remains in power, in remarks released by the State Department on its official X account following an interview with Sean Hannity of Fox News recorded aboard Air Force One.
"It is my personal opinion: the economic trajectory of Cuba cannot change while the people currently in power remain in charge. That is what needs to change, because these individuals have proven to be incapable," Rubio stated. "I hope I am wrong. We will give them a chance. But I don't believe it will happen."
In the same interview, the Secretary of State described the situation on the island starkly: “Wealth in Cuba is controlled by a company owned by military generals who take all the money. This is a country where people literally eat garbage from the streets, but that company accumulates 16 billion dollars. It is a broken and non-functional economy.”
The reference points directly to GAESA (Grupo de Administración Empresarial S.A.), the conglomerate of the Cuban Armed Forces that controls between 40% and 70% of the island's formal economy, including hotels, ports, remittances, and foreign trade. On May 7, Rubio announced direct sanctions against GAESA, its CEO Ania Guillermina Lastres Morera, and the company Moa Nickel S.A., describing the conglomerate as "the heart of Cuba's kleptocratic communist system."
Foreign companies linked to GAESA
Since January 2026, the Trump administration has imposed more than 240 sanctions against the regime and intercepted at least seven tankers, reducing Cuba's energy imports by between 80% and 90%.
Rubio's diagnosis aligns with the bleakest economic projections for the island. The CEPAL estimates a contraction of the Cuban GDP of 6.5% for 2026, the worst in Latin America, while The Economist Intelligence Unit forecasts a decline of 7.2%. Economist Pedro Monreal warned that the decline could reach 15%, which would match the worst year of the Special Period (14.9% in 1993).
In parallel with the economic pressure, the U.S. offered 100 million dollars in direct humanitarian aid to the Cuban people, to be distributed through the Catholic Church. Chancellor Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla referred to it as a "fable" and "100 million dollar lie", while Deputy Minister Carlos Fernández de Cossío called it a dirty political deal.
In response to this reaction, the State Department demanded that the regime be held accountable to the Cuban people last Wednesday: "The decision lies with the Cuban regime: to accept our offer of assistance or to deny critical life-saving aid and, ultimately, be accountable to the Cuban people for obstructing that assistance."
The interview with Hannity took place while Rubio was traveling to China aboard Air Force One for meetings with President Xi Jinping, highlighting the broader geopolitical context surrounding his statements about Cuba.
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