Secretary of State Marco Rubio cautioned Cuba on Thursday that the United States is focused on transforming the communist regime, following a surprising indictment of its former president Raúl Castro by the US.
“Their economic system doesn’t work. It’s broken, and you can’t fix it with the current political system that’s in place,” Rubio shared with reporters in Miami.
“What they’ve gotten used to all these years is just buying time and waiting us out. They’re not going to be able to wait us out or buy time. We’re very serious. We’re very focused.”
Rubio mentioned that while the US prefers “always a diplomatic solution,” he also warned that Trump has other options if threats are perceived.
“Cuba has always posed a national security threat to the United States,” Rubio noted, highlighting the presence of Russian and Chinese weapons and intelligence on the island.
He added that Cuba had tentatively accepted an offer from the United States of $100 million (€86 million) in aid in exchange for reforms.
However, he expressed uncertainty about whether the United States would agree to Cuba’s terms since Washington insists on bypassing the military-backed enterprise that controls much of the island’s economy.
The US military announced that the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier along with its escort warships have entered Caribbean waters, although President Donald Trump denied when asked if this deployment was meant as intimidation towards Cuba, saying, “No, not at all.”
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Call for rally
The charges against Raúl Castro, brother of Fidel Castro-who was famously opposed by the US-are related to the deadly downing of two civilian planes flown by anti-Castro pilots back in 1996. Cuban authorities urged citizens to protest what they called a “despicable” indictment, with Granma-the official newspaper-calling for Cubans to gather outside the US embassy in Havana on Friday morning. “This isn’t really an accusation from something more than 30 years ago but rather a public attack on a public figure,” said Fabian Fernandez, a 30-year-old accountant speaking with AFP news agency. “It’s about politics and public image,” he added. In January, Trump took advantage of a domestic indictment against Venezuela’s leftist leader Nicolás Maduro as an opportunity to deploy US forces aimed at removing him from power. “The idea is to say we can do to you what we did to Nicolás Maduro,” explained Christopher Sabatini, senior fellow for Latin America at Chatham House. Sabatini also mentioned that “the military would certainly defend Cuba” if there were any kind of US military intervention. “Whether the people would or not is difficult to say.”Economic crisis
The operation involving Maduro ended free oil shipments from Venezuela to Cuba-a vital source for nearly half of its energy needs. Cubans are now facing power outages lasting up to 20 hours each day along with water shortages. With inflation spiraling out of control, prices for basic goods have skyrocketed while heaps of garbage accumulate throughout Havana’s streets. Pedro Leal, who is 65 years old and retired, accused Washington of harming ordinary Cubans’ lives. “What the US government is doing here now-on top of blocking our energy sources-is frankly criminal,” he remarked. Castro faces charges including murder alongside conspiracy for killing Americans and destruction of aircrafts. The Cuban government defended its actions during the 1996 shootdown as “legitimate self-defense” against violations within their airspace. Both China and Russia have criticized Trump’s recent moves regarding Cuba amid his attempts at resolving an unpopular conflict started between Israel and Iran. China stated it firmly backs Cuba while urging Washington to ease tensions. Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun told reporters that Washington “should stop brandishing sanctions and judicial threats against Cuba while ceasing constant threats.”Source link
