The Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned this Friday that there are 100 million dollars in food and medicine available for the Cuban people right now, and that the only obstacle to their arrival is the regime itself, in statements released by the State Department on its official X account.
Rubio spoke in an interview with NBC, where he was emphatic: “The Cuban people must know that there are 100 million dollars in food and medicine available to them right now, and the only reason they are not reaching them is the Cuban regime.”
The Secretary of State emphasized that Washington imposes a single condition for delivering that aid: it must be distributed by non-governmental organizations, not by the Cuban government. "The only condition is that it must be distributed by non-governmental organizations. It cannot be humanitarian aid that the government pockets for itself," he stated.
Rubio also recalled the previous assistance provided after Hurricane Melissa: Washington committed nine million dollars, which were distributed entirely through Cáritas Cuba, without any interference from the regime. As of May 8, 82% of the initial donation of three million had already been used, benefiting approximately 8,800 families in Santiago de Cuba, Holguín, Las Tunas, Granma, and Guantánamo.
The State Department formalized the offer of 100 million through an official announcement on May 13, specifying that the funds would be channeled through the Catholic Church — Caritas — and independent non-governmental organizations, deliberately to exclude the Cuban state. The announcement also revealed that Washington had made "numerous private offers" prior, including free access to satellite internet via Starlink, all of which were rejected by Havana.
The regime's stance has undergone a notable shift in just 48 hours. On May 12, Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla described the offer as a "tall tale" and a "lie of 100 million dollars." However, on Thursday, Rodríguez himself softened his position and stated that Cuba "has no issues with working with the Catholic Church" and is "willing to listen to the details of the offer."
That same day, Díaz-Canel published on X that if the U.S. has a "genuine willingness" to provide assistance in accordance with recognized humanitarian practices, Cuba "will not find obstacles or ingratitude" and highlighted "fuel, food, and medicine" as priorities.
This turn coincides with an unprecedented energy crisis. The Minister of Energy, Vicente de la O Levy, admitted on Thursday that Cuba "absolutely has no fuel, no diesel, only associated gas." The electricity deficit exceeded 2,204 MW during peak nighttime hours, with blackouts lasting up to 22 hours in Havana.
On the night of Thursday, protests erupted in at least 12 municipalities in Havana, including Guanabacoa, Marianao, Playa, San Miguel del Padrón, and Vedado, featuring barricades, bonfires, and police repression. The Cuban Observatory of Conflicts recorded 1,133 protests just in April 2026, a 29.5% increase compared to April 2025.
The Cuban-American congressman Carlos Giménez warned on May 13 that the Cuban government would seek to “steal the aid and profit by reselling it to the people”, a warning that Rubio made the central focus of his public stance: aid will only reach the Cuban people if the regime is completely removed from the distribution chain.
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