The Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned this Thursday that the threat to the national security of the United States posed by Cuba is "100% something we are going to focus on, because it concerns America."
In statements disseminated on X by the official account "Rapid Response 47 of the Trump administration," Rubio clearly articulated Washington's position: Cuba is very close, and a debacle on the Island would directly impact the country with a migratory exodus, violence, and instability.
"Cuba is 90 miles from our shores. So, if there is a systemic collapse in that country, which is the direction it is heading, we will be affected by the migration crisis, by any violence and instability that occurs there. It directly involves the national interests of the United States," he stated.
The official candidly described the Cuban model as a "failed state": "Its economic system is not functioning. It is broken. And you can't fix it with the current political system in place. They simply do not understand how to do it."
One of his most compelling points directly targeted GAESA, the military-business conglomerate that controls approximately 70% of the Cuban economy.
"They have a private military company called GAESA that has 18 billion dollars in assets, and not a cent of that goes to the state budget. Not a cent of that helps the people of Cuba," he denounced.
Rubio linked that accumulation of wealth to the energy crisis facing the Island: although Cuba received free Venezuelan oil for years, "it has not spent a single cent on fixing its energy production or its electrical grid," because "they have stolen the money and have not invested in their energy infrastructure."
In response to those who suggested that U.S. policy amounts to intervention, Rubio was emphatic: "This is not nation building. This is not nation building. We are addressing something that is directly related to the national security of the United States."
Regarding the possibility of an agreement with the regime, he acknowledged that President Trump's preference is always "a negotiated agreement that is peaceful," but admitted that the likelihood of achieving this with the current regime "is not high."
In another segment shared on X, he addressed the federal criminal charges against Raúl Castro announced yesterday by Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche in Miami.
"Raúl Castro openly admits and boasts about having given the order to shoot down civilian planes," he noted, referring to the 1996 audio recording that is central to the accusation.
When asked how he plans to bring him to U.S. justice, he replied, "I’m not going to talk about how we’re going to bring him here. If there’s an announcement, I’ll let you know afterward, not before."
The statements made this Thursday come a day after the Secretary of State sent a video message to the Cuban people on the occasion of Independence Day, in which he stated that "Cuba is not controlled by any revolution. Cuba is controlled by GAESA."
The regime responded with threats: Deputy Minister Carlos Fernández de Cossío warned of "fierce resistance" to any actions from Washington, while Chancellor Bruno Rodríguez labeled Rubio as a "spokesman for corrupt and vengeful interests".
Rubio also confirmed that the CIA director, John Ratcliffe, traveled to Havana "a few weeks ago" and that the U.S. ambassador has recently met with Cuban officials, although he dismissed the idea that these contacts have resulted in any genuine signs of openness from the regime.
"The future of Cuba belongs to the people of Cuba regarding how they are governed, how the system is, etc. But the threat to national security, that is 100% something we will focus on because it is about America," concluded the Secretary of State.
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