Rubio Addresses Cuban People in Video, US Proposes $100 Million in Aid
On Cuba's Independence Day (May 20), U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio addressed the Cuban people via video, proposing $100 million in humanitarian aid on the condition it be distributed by trusted groups like the Catholic Church. He blamed Cuba's current power, food, and fuel shortages on the leadership's corruption. This move is part of the Trump administration's pressure campaign, which has already hurt Cuba's economy through sanctions. The Cuban Embassy in the U.S. refuted Rubio's claims on X as lies and accused the U.S. of aggression.
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- 📰 Published: May 20, 2026 at 23:43
- 🔍 Collected: May 21, 2026 at 00:02 (18 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: May 21, 2026 at 00:05 (3 min after Collected)
(CNA, Washington, 20th, Comprehensive Foreign Report) U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio delivered a Cuban Independence Day speech in Spanish to the Cuban people via video today, proposing the creation of a new bilateral relationship and offering $100 million in aid. He also blamed Cuba's current electricity, food, and fuel shortages on its leadership. According to Reuters, Marco Rubio stated in the video: "We in the United States now extend a hand to you, not just to alleviate the current crisis, but also to build a better future." He said the U.S. would provide the Cuban people with $100 million (approximately NT$3.2 billion) in food and medicine, on the condition that it be distributed by the Catholic Church or other trustworthy charitable organizations. Rubio also attributed the problems currently faced by the Cuban people to the greed and corruption of the national leadership. He said: "The real reason you don't have electricity, fuel, and food is because the people who control your country have plundered billions of dollars, none of which was used to help the people." For some time, U.S. President Donald Trump has been seeking regime change in Cuba. By threatening sanctions against countries supplying fuel to Cuba, the U.S. has created a de facto blockade on the Caribbean island nation. As a result, Cuba has suffered repeated power outages, further damaging its already fragile national economy. The Trump administration is also expected today to announce the filing of criminal charges against former Cuban President Raul Castro, the brother of the late Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro. This move would represent an escalation of Washington's pressure on the Cuban communist regime. In response, the Cuban Embassy in the United States posted on the social media platform X today, accusing Rubio of lying. The post read: "The U.S. Secretary of State... repeatedly lies... when trying to justify the acts of aggression he has imposed on the Cuban people... he knows full well that there is no excuse for such cruel and ruthless aggression."