Miguel Díaz-Canel launched an attack against U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, describing his recent statements about increasing pressure on Havana as an "open threat of genocidal extermination against an entire people."
The Cuban leader made the accusation during the inauguration of the I International Colloquium "Fidel: Legacy and Future," held on Monday at the Palace of Conventions in Havana, just before the centenary of the dictator Fidel Castro's birth.
Díaz-Canel's target was an interview given by Rubio to Axios on August 7, in which the head of U.S. diplomacy made it clear that Washington intends to continue closing off avenues that would allow the Cuban government to alleviate the effects of the maximum pressure policy.
«What we are trying to teach them is that there are no escape valves», Rubio stated.
Díaz-Canel directly responded to those remarks during his speech.
"It is the height of cynicism that, when referring to the economic measures being imposed against Cuba, the U.S. Secretary of State said: 'What we are trying to teach them is that there are no escape valves,'" he stated, according to the transcript published by the Cubana Presidency.
According to the leader, that statement represents "the open threat of genocidal extermination of an entire people if they do not submit to the designs of the empire."
Rubio's words came just three days before the colloquium, which brings together in Havana more than 1,500 delegates from 63 countries, including over 1,000 foreigners, as part of the official events commemorating the centenary of Fidel Castro, which is observed on August 13.
Washington increases pressure on Havana
The verbal confrontation occurs amidst a new escalation of measures from Washington against the Cuban government.
One day before Rubio's interview, the State Department announced sanctions against five entities linked to the Cuban military-industrial complex, including Tecnoimport, Duna S.A., and the Military Industry Union, as well as eight officials.
Among those sanctioned are the Minister of the Revolutionary Armed Forces, Álvaro López Miera, and the Chief of the General Staff, Roberto Legrá Sotolongo, due to their involvement in the acquisition of weapons and military cooperation between Havana and Russia and China.
Since January 2026, the administration of Donald Trump has launched over two dozen actions against Cuba, with sanctions targeting more than 40 entities and at least 38 individuals.
In June, the measures directly targeted Díaz-Canel and his wife, Lis Cuesta Peraza.
The First International Colloquium "Fidel: Legacy and Future" will continue until August 13, marking the 100th anniversary of Fidel Castro's birth.
The anniversary has occupied a central place in the political and communication agenda of the government throughout 2026, as the island approaches the centenary of the leader who governed Cuba for nearly half a century, amidst a profound economic, energy, and social crisis, and increasing confrontation with Washington.
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