Rubio warns Cuba after US indicts former leader

 

On Thursday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio cautioned Cuba that the United States is intensely focused on altering the communist regime, following the island's shock at a US indictment against its former president, Raul Castro. 

The US military reported that the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier, along with its escort warships, had entered the Caribbean. When President Donald Trump was asked if this deployment was intended to intimidate Cuba, he responded, "No, not at all."

Rubio, a Cuban American and a vocal critic of the government in Havana, characterized the island, located 90 miles (145 kilometers) from the US coast, as a "failed state" grappling with a significant economic crisis. He stated, "Their economic system is ineffective. It is broken, and it cannot be repaired under the current political system in place," while speaking to reporters in Miami. "What they have become accustomed to over the years is merely buying time and waiting us out. They will not be able to wait us out or buy time. We are very serious. We are very focused."

Rubio indicated that the US preference has always been for a "diplomatic solution," but he cautioned that Trump has other options available. He also mentioned that Cuba had tentatively accepted a US offer of $100 million in aid in exchange for reforms. However, he noted that it remains uncertain whether the United States would agree to Cuba's conditions, as Washington insists on bypassing the military-backed conglomerate GAESA, which controls the island's economy. Earlier this month, Washington imposed sanctions on GAESA.

On Thursday, Rubio stated that the sister of the GAESA chief, Adys Lastres Morera, who is based in Florida, had been arrested and is currently being held by US immigration authorities. In a post on X, he remarked that she had been "managing real estate assets…while also supporting Havana’s communist regime, until I revoked her permanent resident status."