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Carlos Fernández de Cossío, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cuba, accused the U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, of deliberately lying about Cuba to justify what he described as a "cruel and ruthless aggression" against the Cuban people.
"The reason the U.S. Secretary of State lies so repeatedly and unscrupulously when referring to Cuba and trying to justify the aggression against the Cuban people is not ignorance or incompetence. He knows full well that there is no excuse for such a cruel and ruthless aggression," Cossío wrote on his X account.
The official emphasized that Rubio's statements do not stem from a lapse in judgment or ignorance, but rather from a deliberate strategy, which makes his message the most direct accusation he has directed at the Secretary of State since the escalation of rhetoric between both governments began in May 2026.
The tweet arrives at a time of heightened tension between Washington and Havana. On May 7, Rubio announced new sanctions against GAESA, the military conglomerate that controls between 40% and 70% of Cuba's formal economy.
On May 13, aboard Air Force One, Rubio described Cuba as a "failed state" and stated that they would give the regime a chance to improve the economy, but he did not believe that transformation would come to the island without a change in government.
On May 17, the portal Axios published a report based on classified U.S. intelligence indicating that Cuba has reportedly acquired over 300 military drones from Russia and Iran since 2023, and that Cuban officials have discussed their potential use against the Guantanamo Naval Base, military vessels, and Key West, Florida.
Cossío has systematically responded to each statement made by Rubio. On May 10, he described a purported offer of U.S. humanitarian aid as a “dirty political deal”.
On May 14, Cuba denied threatening the U.S. and accused Washington of engaging in a "ruthless economic war."
On May 17, he invoked the right to legitimate defense and stated that the "anti-Cuban" effort to justify military aggression “intensifies by the hour”.
The Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth stated before Congress on May 12 that Cuba poses a "threat to the national security" of the U.S., while U.S. intelligence officials indicated that they do not consider an attack imminent, although they view the situation as a risk of escalation.
The exchange on Wednesday represents a high point in the rhetorical confrontation between the Cuban regime and the Trump-Rubio administration thus far in 2026.
Cossío framed U.S. policy toward Cuba not as a miscalculation, but as a campaign of deliberate lies in service of what Rubio himself has described as a "broken Cuban economy that is impossible to fix while the current regime remains in power."
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