Marco Rubio used Cuba's independence day to deliver a rare, direct message to Cubans in Spanish, accusing the island's communist leadership—not Washington—of causing the country's deepening blackout crisis. The secretary of state said leadership claims that the US oil blockade is to blame are a smokescreen, arguing that decades of corruption and mismanagement have left Cuba without reliable electricity, fuel, or food, per the Hill and New York Times. While UN experts say the oil blockade is an unlawful "energy starvation," Rubio pointed the finger at GAESA, the powerful military-run conglomerate that dominates the economy, saying its leaders divert money to hotels and overseas lifestyles instead of fixing crumbling power plants.
Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants, framed the address as part of a possible reset with Havana, but one that would bypass the government. He said President Trump is offering a new relationship "directly" with the Cuban people and touted a proposed $100 million package of food and medicine, to be distributed through the Catholic Church or other trusted charities rather than state entities. Cuba's top diplomat in Washington, Lianys Torres Rivera, said Havana is open to aid "in good faith" but has received few details, per the Hill. The message lands as the Trump administration talks openly about invading Cuba and the CIA warns that the window for negotiations is closing. (Cuba argues the US is preparing to attack a sovereign nation that "poses no threat.")
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