The U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, issued a harsh criticism of the Cuban regime this Wednesday from Manila, Philippines, where he is participating in the ASEAN ministerial meetings.
In statements collected by the official account on X of the Department of State, it was stated that "the biggest problem in Cuba is that its regime is a disaster, its economic model does not work, and those who run the country do not know what they are doing."
The head of U.S. diplomacy responded in this way to a question about whether Washington is seeking a regime change through economic collapse or considering a military option.
Rubio dismissed both avenues and reaffirmed that the goal is "a Cuba where the Cuban people can live with prosperity, security, and a better life, just as Cubans do anywhere in the world when they leave the Island."
He subsequently identified two fundamental causes of the Cuban crisis.
The first is an economic system that, in his words, "does not exist anywhere else in the world, is completely obsolete, and simply does not work," and which forces the population to leave the country.
The second issue is the cut in the supply of free oil from Venezuela. On this point, Rubio revealed a significant fact: about 60% of the crude that Cuba received for free was not used for the electric grid, but was instead sold to obtain foreign currency.
The Secretary of State was even more direct in explaining the regime's logic: "They fear economic prosperity because they know that, with greater well-being and more economic freedoms, they would lose control over the population."
It also warned that Cuba has lost between 10% and 15% of its population since 2021 due to poor government management, a figure that aligns with official data from the National Office of Statistics and Information, which records a decline from 11.18 million inhabitants in 2021 to fewer than 10 million in 2024.
The official announced that the United States has begun to send more than 100 million dollars in humanitarian aid to Cuba, which will be distributed exclusively by non-governmental entities within the island.
The first shipmentdeparted from Miamion a 7Air Cargo plane and arrived in Havana on Tuesday.
The total package is divided into 60 million dollars for the Catholic Church and 40 million for independent non-governmental organizations, with an estimated coverage of between 100,000 and 120,000 families.
The Cuban regime, for its part, rejected the aid, calling it an "opportunistic act" and "political manipulation", and demanded that any assistance go through its official channels.
This stance illustrates, according to Rubio, the underlying problem: "Those in power today have to decide that they want to move towards a better future. And, unfortunately, at this moment, they do not want to do so."
The statements made this Wednesday are part of a sustained escalation of diplomatic pressure.
In May, Rubiodescribed Cuba as a failed state that "cannot be fixed with the current political system" and announced sanctions against GAESA and, subsequently, against CUPET.
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