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The Deputy Minister of Foreign Relations of Cuba, Carlos Fernández de Cossío, accused the government of the United States this Wednesday of aiming to "destroy Cuba's economic performance," in a message posted on his X account in direct response to the statements made by Secretary of State Marco Rubio before the Senate.
Cossío's tweet came a day after Rubio appeared before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to defend the State Department's budget, where he described GAESA as a "military holding company" that controls 70% of the Cuban GDP and accumulates between 14,000 and 17,000 million dollars in assets, with not a penny reaching the public treasury.
In his post, the deputy minister outlined three points: that the U.S. aims to destroy Cuba's economic performance, that "the country's problems worsen in proportion to American aggression," and that GAESA is not a private company — a direct reference to how Rubio characterized the military conglomerate before the senators.
Cossío concluded with a phrase full of irony: "Lying in congressional hearings is free."
Rubio had been emphatic in his description of the Castro conglomerate: "Cuba is not actually controlled by the government. Cuba is controlled by a military holding company called GAESA, and GAESA practically owns everything in the country. It controls the tourism sector, controls mining, controls gas stations; it owns it all."
The Secretary of State also noted that GAESA's revenues likely triple the Cuban state budget, and that the conglomerate was founded by Raúl Castro about 30 years ago and is operated by the Armed Forces.
It is not the first time that Cossío has accused Rubio of lying. On May 20, he had already done so publicly, describing his statements as a "cruel and ruthless attack" against the Cuban people.
The exchange occurs at a time of heightened pressure from Washington on Havana since the beginning of the Trump administration. Since January 2026, the U.S. has imposed over 240 sanctions against the regime, including Executive Order 14404 from May 1, which resulted in direct sanctions against GAESA, its president Ania Guillermina Lastres Morera, and Moa Nickel S.A.
The U.S. set June 5 as the deadline for foreign companies to sever ties with GAESA under the threat of secondary sanctions, which has led to the withdrawal of hotel chains like Meliá, Iberostar, Blue Diamond Resorts, and Aston/Archipelago International, as well as banking entities, thereby limiting the use of Visa and MasterCard cards on the island.
This is complemented by the interception of at least seven tankers in international waters, which has reduced Cuban fuel imports by between 80% and 90%, exacerbating an energy crisis with blackouts of up to 24 hours a day in much of the territory.
The regime also published on Tuesday in Granma its first direct public defense of GAESA, labeling the sanctions as "state slander" and a "dangerous escalation," while Rubio had concluded in the Senate that Cuba cannot reform "unless new people take control."
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