US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has declared that Cuba's leadership must change, as the Trump administration renews a $100 million (€85 million) aid package contingent on Havana's cooperation. The offer comes as the island grapples with its worst energy crisis in decades, leaving 65% of the country without power on Tuesday.
Rubio, a Cuban-American and longtime critic of the Castro-era regime, told Fox News host Sean Hannity aboard Air Force One that the system itself is broken. "It's a broken, non-functional economy, and it's impossible to change it. I wish it were different," he said. "We'll give them a chance. But I don't think it's going to happen."
The State Department publicly reiterated the proposal on Wednesday, a week after imposing new sanctions targeting key actors in Cuba's state-controlled economy and their foreign partners. The department stated: "The regime refuses to allow the United States to provide this assistance to the Cuban people, who are in desperate need of assistance due to the failures of Cuba's corrupt regime." It added that the support would include direct humanitarian aid and funding for "fast and free" internet access, which would likely benefit dissidents in the one-party state that restricts media.
Energy Crisis and Rare Protests
Cuba lost roughly half its fuel supply after US forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in a January raid. His successor complied with US pressure to halt fuel shipments to the island. Since then, only one oil tanker, from Russia, has reached Cuba. The resulting shortages have triggered a series of rare protests across the country of 9.6 million people.
On Wednesday, several dozen residents in Havana's San Miguel del Padrón neighbourhood banged pots and pans to protest the blackouts. Similar demonstrations erupted in other areas, with eyewitnesses reporting chants of "Turn on the lights!" in the Playa district. President Miguel Díaz-Canel acknowledged the "particularly tense" situation but blamed the United States, posting on X: "This dramatic worsening has a single cause: the genocidal energy blockade to which the United States subjects our country, threatening irrational tariffs against any nation that supplies us with fuel."
Rubio dismissed such claims, attributing the crisis to systemic corruption within the military and the regime's mismanagement. "I don't think we're going to be able to change the trajectory of Cuba as long as these people are in charge in that regime," he said. President Trump, who has already deposed Maduro and pursued a hard line on Iran, has hinted that Cuba could be next, even musing about a US takeover of the island 145 kilometres off Florida.
Havana has denied rejecting the US aid offer, which Rubio claimed was turned down after talks at the Vatican last week. The standoff underscores the deepening rift between Washington and Havana, with European observers watching closely as the crisis unfolds. For context on US diplomatic efforts in the region, see Rubio in Rome: US Seeks Italian Support on Iran, Trade, and NATO Commitments.
The situation also highlights broader geopolitical tensions, as European nations weigh their own ties with Cuba. The EU has maintained a policy of critical engagement, but the energy collapse and humanitarian fallout may prompt renewed debate in Brussels and national capitals. Meanwhile, the US offer remains on the table, with the State Department insisting: "The decision rests with the Cuban regime to accept our offer of assistance or deny critical (life)-saving aid and ultimately be accountable to the Cuban people for standing in the way of critical assistance."
