Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla granted an exclusive interview to Fox News this Tuesday, on the program The Story with host Martha MacCallum, where he accused the Trump administration of using the criminal charges against Raúl Castro as part of a "political narrative to justify a military aggression against Cuba."
In one of the fragments shared on the social media platform X, MacCallum asked Rodríguez if Cuba was prepared to defend itself militarily in the event of a possible regime change driven by Washington. The chancellor responded with a rhetorical question: "We will have to ask the U.S. government why it took 30 years to do this. We will have to question what the ethical value is, what the legal value of these accusations is right now, or whether this is part of a political narrative aimed at manipulating American public opinion to justify military aggression against Cuba."
The federal indictment against Raúl Castro and five Cuban military officials —declassified on May 20— is related to the downing of two planes belonging to Brothers to the Rescue on February 24, 1996, which resulted in the deaths of four individuals, three of whom were U.S. citizens.
Rodríguez also rejected the statements made by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who claimed on Fox News that Cuba poses "a direct threat to the national security of the U.S." and mentioned a stockpile of military drones supplied by Russia and China. The chancellor responded with irony: "Imagine: Cuba is a small island of 100,000 square kilometers and 10 million inhabitants. With what logic, with what common sense can it be argued that Cuba could threaten a nuclear superpower?"
Regarding Rubio, Rodríguez was direct: "We will have to ask the Secretary of State if he has any evidence. I have heard him lie time and again about this matter."
The chancellor also responded to Trump's statements, in which he labeled Cuba as a "failed nation." Rodríguez pointed out the contradiction: "If the Cuban state were inefficient and the Cuban economy were unviable, what would be the purpose of an executive order from the president of the United States, issued on January 29, declaring a total energy blockade against Cuba? What would be the need?"
Rodríguez Parrilla is in New York to participate in a session of the United Nations Security Council focused on international peace and security. The interview takes place amid the highest escalation of tension between Washington and Havana in decades. Trump signed the Executive Order 14380 on January 29, which imposed secondary sanctions on countries that supply oil to Cuba.
On May 1, he signed a second executive order that expanded the sanctions on the energy, defense, mining, and finance sectors. According to news reports, these measures have reduced the island's energy imports by between 80% and 90%, exacerbating blackouts of up to 25 hours a day.
Meanwhile, Trump threatened to deploy the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln off the coast of Cuba and claimed that the U.S. would "take Cuba almost immediately" after the conflict with Iran.
Rodríguez has been responding to this escalation for weeks. On May 8, he warned to ABC News of "unimaginable consequences" in the event of an attack; on May 13, he insisted that there would be "a bloodbath"; and on May 21, he accused Rubio of inciting an aggression that would cause casualties among Cubans and Americans. The interview on Fox News —a channel historically aligned with the hardline against Cuba— is unusual and represents an attempt by the regime to convey its message directly to the conservative American audience.
Rodríguez concluded his remarks with a warning: "No political difference between two States, no consideration regarding the political system or government of another country can be a reason to provoke a war, a bloodbath, or a humanitarian catastrophe."
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