US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has described Cuba as a national security threat to the United States, warning that the chances of reaching a peaceful agreement with Havana remain slim amid worsening tensions between the two countries.
Rubio made the remarks on Thursday, just a day after the US government filed murder charges against former Cuban president Raúl Castro over the 1996 shooting down of two civilian aircraft that killed US nationals.
Speaking to reporters late Thursday, Rubio said Washington still preferred diplomacy but suggested the current Cuban leadership had made progress difficult.
“Diplomacy remains our preference with Cuba,” he said, adding that the likelihood of a peaceful resolution was “not high.”
The US secretary of state also accused Cuba of being one of the region’s leading sponsors of terrorism a claim swiftly rejected by Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla.
In a post on X, Rodríguez accused Rubio of spreading “lies” and attempting to provoke military aggression against the island nation.
He insisted Cuba had never posed a threat to the United States and accused Washington of systematically targeting the country.
The sharp exchange comes as Cuba grapples with a worsening fuel shortage, prolonged blackouts and food scarcity, problems Havana says have been deepened by US sanctions and what it describes as an effective oil blockade.
Rubio said the Cuban government had accepted a $100 million humanitarian aid package offered by the US.
Tensions between both countries have escalated since President Donald Trump returned to office and renewed pressure on Cuba’s communist government.
Trump has repeatedly spoken about forcing political change in Havana.
The indictment against Castro is being viewed by some analysts as one of the most aggressive moves yet in Washington’s campaign against the Cuban leadership.
When asked whether the US planned to extradite Castro, Rubio declined to discuss possible steps to bring the former Cuban leader to American soil.
Acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche had earlier said authorities expected Castro to appear in the US “by his own will or another way.”
Rubio also announced the arrest of Adys Lastres Morera, the sister of a senior official linked to a military-controlled Cuban business conglomerate.
According to Rubio, she was detained in Florida by immigration authorities and could face deportation proceedings.
Meanwhile, Trump told reporters at the Oval Office that Cuba was a “failed country” but said his administration was still trying to support ordinary Cubans through humanitarian assistance.
The US president also suggested he could succeed where previous administrations had failed in reshaping relations with Cuba.
