The U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, blamed the Cuban regime on Tuesday for the humanitarian crisis the island is experiencing and stated that the energy deterioration is due both to the end of free oil supplies from Venezuela and years of underinvestment in the electrical system.
Rubio made the statements during a press conference in Barranquilla, Colombia, where he met with President Abelardo De La Espriella, in response to a question about the warnings from the United Nations regarding the impact of fuel and electricity shortages in Cuba. The Department of State shared his response in a video.
"The main reason Cuba is experiencing an energy crisis is that Venezuela no longer gives away its oil," stated the head of U.S. diplomacy.
According to Rubio, for years Havana received Venezuelan crude oil at no cost, using approximately 30% to meet its internal needs and selling the rest to generate income. That scheme was interrupted following the capture of Nicolás Maduro by U.S. forces in January 2026.
The Secretary of State pointed out, however, that Cuba's energy issues predate the end of those supplies and reminded that the island was already experiencing widespread blackouts due to the deterioration of its infrastructure.
In his opinion, the Cuban regime "didn't invest a cent" in modernizing the electrical grid despite having access to oil from Venezuela for years.
Rubio was particularly critical in attributing the humanitarian crisis to the political and economic model of the island.
"If Cuba is a humanitarian disaster, it is because its government, its regime, is a disaster. Because the economic model they follow does not work. In fact, it makes no sense, because they do not allow the private sector to thrive, because they do not allow Cubans to individually choose their own path in life," he expressed.
He also rejected the notion that the situation can be explained solely by external factors and recalled the U.S. offer of $100 million in humanitarian aid for Cubans.
"Cuba is a humanitarian catastrophe, and we have offered them 100 million dollars in humanitarian aid; others have done so as well. No one is preventing that aid from entering," he stated.
The U.S. initiative includes 60 million dollars channeled through the Catholic Church and another 40 million through independent non-governmental organizations, with the aim of preventing the regime from controlling the distribution.
The Secretary of State also accused the Cuban authorities of allocating resources to other priorities instead of modernizing the country's infrastructure.
"They stole all the money meant for building hotels to line their own pockets, and because they are no longer stealing oil from Venezuela for free," he stated.
The statements delve into the recent public confrontation between Washington and Havana regarding the causes of the energy crisis. Days ago, Bruno Rodríguez accused Rubio of lying and denied that Venezuela was gifting oil to Cuba, arguing that the shipments were part of trade exchanges for services provided by the island.
Rubio, for his part, pointed out on September 2 that the blackouts in Cuba have been occurring for between five and seven years, to argue that the energy crisis is structural and not solely a result of the interruption of the Venezuelan supply.
Filed under: