The Cuban scientist and communicator Amílcar Pérez-Riverol published an opinion piece on Facebook that is widely circulating on social media, in which he partially blames the U.S. President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio for the worsening humanitarian crisis in Cuba, seven months after the U.S. administration imposed an energy blockade against the Island.
Pérez-Riverol, a microbiologist based abroad, starts from a clear premise: the Cuban dictatorship is the main culprit for the collapse of the country. However, he argues that Washington's maximum pressure policy has exacerbated the suffering of the population without leading to any real progress toward freedom.
"If Cuba is in the dark, without medicines, food, healthcare, and freedoms, it is due to decades of dictatorship and disastrous policies. But if the darkness is longer, food scarcer, medicines like unicorns, absolute unhealthiness, and freedom less credible, it is also, and factually, Marco's fault. Trump's fault," he wrote.
The specialist recalled that earlier this year, Trump imposed a complete energy blockade on the government "with the Cubans inside," and yet, many people in Cuba believed that the end of the dictatorship was near. But seven months later, "the day that seemed to be approaching now appears to be further away."
The catalyst for his publication is the recent oil agreement between the United States and Venezuela, in which Rubio negotiated directly with Delcy Rodríguez, the acting president of Venezuela, for U.S. access to about 65 billion barrels of proven reserves over 25 years.
For the scientist, the contradiction is glaring: the same official who imposes an energy blockade on Cuba for ideological reasons has just made a deal with the Chavista government. "Look at the 'highly respected' Delcy Rodríguez, more president than ever after signing an oil agreement, loyally backed by the unyielding anti-Chavista and anti-communist Rubio," he pointed out.
The author draws a direct parallel between the promises made to Venezuela and those made to Cuba. "Venezuela was promised the gift of freedom and democracy. So far, the only gift has been taken by the United States in the form of 65,000 million barrels of oil," he wrote.
And he emphasizes: "They have promised the same to Cuba. So far, the only tangible result, the only outcome is a poorer, more miserable, more unhealthy, and ruined country. And nothing more."
In 2026, Washington has sanctioned more than 40 Cuban entities, including the state oil company CUPET and several companies linked to GAESA. The Minister of Energy, Vicente de la O Levy, admitted in May that Cuba was "without fuel", amidst a crisis that has resulted in seven total collapses of the national electric system this year and nighttime deficits exceeding 2,000 MW.
Rubio has publicly called for "patience and perseverance" and stated in August that Cuba will be on an "irreversible path" before Trump's term ends.
Pérez-Riverol harshly rejects that argument: "Trump, through Rubio, or Rubio on his own, calls for patience. Hunger has no patience, disease has no patience, garbage has no patience."
The microbiologist concludes his text with a direct criticism of the Trump administration: "If you impose an energy blockade on a country promising freedom, knowing that those who will pay the price with the most suffering are the people, and after seven months freedom doesn’t even have a timeline anymore, you have to take responsibility. The blame is also yours."
The comments on the post reflect a widespread disillusionment. "We have been in this situation for 67 years and nothing has been resolved because the last thing both sides care about is the people. 67 years of broken promises and wasted money on politics. It’s time to take control of the matter and not wait for anyone," said a resident of Artemisa.
He coincided with a Cuban woman who stated, “If the dictatorship in Cuba has lasted for so many years, it's due to the convenience of the United States. If we Cubans don’t take action for ourselves, it will be 60 thousand more millennia. It's to the streets and there's no turning back; nothing is free in this world.”
A young emigrant was more succinct: "No one should expect anything from any government, build your life with your own effort."
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