The Secretary of State Marco Rubio published this Wednesday, on the 124th anniversary of the proclamation of the Republic of Cuba, a video in Spanish directed directly to the Cuban people, in which he held the military conglomerate GAESA responsible for the crisis facing the island and presented a concrete offer from President Trump: 100 million dollars in food and medicine, conditional upon their distribution being managed by the Catholic Church or other trusted charitable organizations.
"The reason they lack electricity, fuel, and food is that those who control their country have plundered billions of dollars, but none has been used to help the people," Rubio stated in the message, explicitly dismissing the idea that the U.S. embargo is the cause of the suffering of Cubans.
The Secretary of State described GAESA as "a state within a state that is accountable to no one," founded 30 years ago by Raúl Castro, owned by the Cuban Armed Forces, with revenues three times greater than the government budget, 18 billion dollars in assets, and control of 70% of the island's economy.
Rubio detailed that the conglomerate profits from hotels, construction, banks, stores, and from remittances that family members abroad send to Cuba, retaining a percentage of each transfer, while its benefits do not reach the people.
He also accused the regime of relying on free oil from Hugo Chávez and Nicolás Maduro instead of investing in energy infrastructure, and of using resources to build hotels for foreigners and sending their relatives to live in luxury in Madrid and the United States.
The message arrives at a time of acute electrical crisis: Cuba is experiencing power outages of up to 22 hours daily, with a deficit that reached 2,113 MW against a demand of 3,250 MW on May 13.
Rubio outlined a vision of a "new Cuba" that includes economic freedom for all citizens, not just the GAESA elite: "A new Cuba where you, the ordinary Cubans, not just GAESA, can own a gas station, a clothing store, or a restaurant."
To that vision, he added freedom of the press, the right to complain without reprisals, and free elections: "A new Cuba where one can voice concerns about a failing system without fear of imprisonment or being forced to leave their island."
The secretary compared the opportunities available in the Bahamas, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, and Florida with those denied to Cubans on the island: "If owning your own business and having the right to vote are possible around Cuba, why is it not possible for you within Cuba?"
The message comes amid an unprecedented escalation of pressure. On May 7, Rubio announced specific sanctions against GAESA, its CEO Ania Guillermina Lastres Morera, and Moa Nickel S.A., based on an executive order from Trump signed on May 1.
The United States has set June 5, 2026 as the deadline for foreign companies to cease operations with sanctioned Cuban entities, under the threat of secondary sanctions.
Meanwhile, on May 14, CIA Director John Ratcliffe met in Havana with Cuban authorities, signaling that Washington is keeping diplomatic channels open while intensifying economic pressure.
"In the United States, we are ready to open a new chapter in the relationship between our people and our countries. And right now, the only thing standing in the way of a better future is those who control their country," Rubio concluded.
Message from Marco Rubio to the Cuban people
On a day like today, in 1902, the Cuban flag flew for the first time over an independent nation. But I know that today, you who call the Island your home, are facing unimaginable difficulties.
Today, I want to share with you the truth about the reason for your suffering and tell you what we in the United States are offering to help you not only alleviate the current crisis but also to build a better future.
The reason they are forced to survive without electricity for up to 22 hours a day is not due to an oil blockade by the United States. As you know better than anyone, they have been suffering from blackouts for years.
The real reason they lack electricity, fuel, and food is that those who control their country have plundered billions of dollars, and none of that has been used to help the people.
Thirty years ago, Raúl Castro founded a company called GAESA. This company belongs to the Armed Forces and is operated by them. It generates revenue three times higher than the Cuban government's budget.
Today, while you suffer, these businesspeople control 18 billion dollars in assets and dominate 70% of the Cuban economy.
They earn profits from hotels, construction, banks, stores, and even from the money that their relatives send them from the United States. Everything passes through their hands.
They withhold a percentage from those remittances, but none of GAESA's profits reach the Cuban people.
Instead of using that money to buy oil, as other countries do, they depended for years on the free oil sent by Hugo Chávez and Nicolás Maduro to keep the money for themselves.
But now that they no longer receive that oil for free, they buy fuel for their generators and vehicles, while the people are asked to continue making sacrifices.
Instead of using the money to maintain and modernize the damaged power plants, they use it to build more hotels for foreigners and send their relatives to live in luxury in Madrid and even in the United States.
Today, Cuba is not controlled by any revolution. Cuba is controlled by GAESA: a state within the state that answers to no one and monopolizes the profits from its businesses to benefit a small elite.
And the only role that the so-called government plays is to demand that you continue to make sacrifices and to suppress anyone who dares to protest.
President Trump offers a new relationship between the United States and Cuba, but it must be directly with you, the Cuban people, and not with GAESA.
First, we are offering 100 million dollars in food and medicine for you, the people, but that aid must be distributed directly by the Catholic Church or other trusted charitable organizations, not stolen by GAESA to be sold in their stores.
But the Cuban people are not interested in living off permanent charity.
You want the opportunity to live in your own country just like your relatives do in the United States and other countries around the world.
Today, from media to entertainment, from business to politics, from music to sports, Cubans have reached the top of nearly every industry in every country, except for one: Cuba.
Today, in Cuba, only those who are close to the GAESA elite or are a part of it can have profitable businesses.
But President Trump offers a new path between the United States and a new Cuba.
A new Cuba where you, the everyday Cubans, and not just GAESA, can own a gas station, a clothing store, or a restaurant.
A new Cuba where you, not just GAESA, can open a bank or have a construction company.
A new Cuba where you, and not just the Communist Party, can own a television station or a newspaper.
A new Cuba where one can criticize a failing system without fear of going to prison or being forced to leave the Island.
And a new Cuba where they have the real opportunity to choose those who govern the country and to vote to replace them if they do not perform their duties well.
This is not impossible.
All of that exists in the Bahamas, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, and even just 90 miles away, in Florida.
If having a business of your own and the right to vote is possible around Cuba, why can't it be possible inside Cuba?
In the United States, we are ready to open a new chapter in the relationship between our peoples.
And today, the only thing standing in the way of a better future is those who control your country.
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