Cuba blames US blockade as Rubio calls island 'failed state'

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez on Tuesday accused the United States of tightening its decades-long economic blockade against the island, saying new sanctions are causing daily damage to Cuban families. "The US blockade is tightening, along with the energy siege and secondary sanctions, causing daily damage to Cuban families," Rodriguez said in a post on X. He criticized measures that eliminate people-to-people exchanges and further restrict academic and research activities while tightening limitations on private Cuban entities conducting business with US banks.

Rubio decries 'failed state'

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday dismissed Cuba as a "failed state" with no functioning economy or government, citing mass migration as evidence of collapse. "The problem that Cuba has basically right now is it is a failed state in every sense of the word," Rubio told Fox News, noting that nearly 20 percent of the island's population has departed since 2021. He argued that economic reforms alone would prove insufficient without accompanying political freedoms.

Humanitarian aid blocked

Rodriguez said humanitarian aid destined for Cuba through the United Nations has been unable to reach the island because of US pressures and threats against international shipping companies. More than 7,000 containers failed to reach Cuban ports while Rodriguez thanked UN agencies for attempting to facilitate deliveries, according to the foreign ministry statement. Cuba is currently facing severe shortages of basic goods and fuel alongside frequent power outages, with the UN raising concerns over the impact on health services.

Calls for political reform

Washington has defended its pressure campaign while demanding structural political and economic changes in Havana. "We're hopeful that Cuba will choose a different path," Rubio said, adding that political freedom must accompany any economic opening. The new US measures also ban "U-turn" transactions and indirect operations involving entities named on the State Department's Cuba Restricted List.