12 October 2026
There are no signs of any fruitful engagement between the two countries. In the week past the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, continued to argue that the economic crisis precipitated by tightened sanctions is intended to persuade “the people that continue to chant revolutionary slogans” to “open their eyes”, warning that “they will learn the lesson the hard way if they don’t correct.” As Cuba is already a “failed state” “fueled by corruption and theft” that “never worked”, he claimed in an interview with Fox News that it had “already fallen”.
The primary aim of US policy goals, he insisted, is “political freedom”, requiring “a period of transition.” He also continued to point to Cuba as a security threat to the US, arguing that the US should “never allow Cuba to become a base for operations against the United States.”
Although the US President backs Rubio’s policy his most recent comments to journalists place more emphasis on the benefits that could come when “Cuba and the US will make a deal”. “I don’t think we’ll need the military”, he told journalists in response to media questions following reports that the US Army Reserve was assessing potential requirements for responding to a Cuban emergency. It remains unclear whether the apparent difference in emphasis between statements by Trump and Rubio are two halves of a single strategy or evidence of differences within the Administration.
Meanwhile, the Cuban government has sought support at the UN General Assembly in New York ahead of the annual vote on Cuba’s resolution against the US embargo, due on 28 October. The Foreign Minister, Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, denounced the imposition of “a total energy siege… equivalent to a naval blockade, defined in international law as an act of war”. Reflecting the hostile atmosphere at the meeting, a press report citing unnamed US official sources suggested that the US State Department was considering “strict controls” on the movements of Cuban diplomats and officials in New York around the General Assembly.
Nonetheless, Rodríguez was able to meet UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, and several counterparts in his efforts to rally international support, which remains muted (see below). He also gave several press interviews. In one, he contrasted “respectful” exchanges with US officials with the “extremely aggressive” US public statements and policies. Stressing that Cuba was open to business with US partners, he insisted that meaningful diplomatic dialogue could only begin when the US abandons preconditions that represent “interference in our internal affairs”.
Where this leaves the possibility of closing the gap between the two countries is uncertain. Rodríguez’s position in relation to the US political preconditions was confirmed by Cuba’s chargé d’affaires in Washington, Lianys Torres Rivera. She added that “channels of communication” through meetings, telephone calls and WhatsApp messaging, remained open. As reported previously, Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernández de Cossío has said that Cuba was “not willing to discuss its political system”. For its part, the US State Department said that talks were ongoing but that the “regime” was hampering progress by being unwilling to agree to anything that threatened its “total control”. Responding to the threat of US military action, Cuba is keeping its defence forces on the alert.
Cuba Briefing – Issue 1325
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