Marco Rubio on Cuban Regime: "They Can't Stall or Wait Us Out"

On Thursday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a stark warning that the Cuban regime's typical tactic of stalling in its dealings with Washington would no longer be effective. He labeled Cuba a "failed state" with an economic system that "doesn't work and can't be fixed under the current political system."

C-SPAN captured Rubio's remarks during a press conference where he candidly discussed the situation on the island, the Trump administration's pressure policy, and the formal charges filed against Raúl Castro for the 1996 downing of civilian aircraft.

"For years, their strategy has been to buy time and wait us out," Rubio stated. "But they can't wait us out or buy more time. We're serious and highly focused."

Rubio acknowledged ongoing communication channels with Havana, noting that the U.S. ambassador recently met with Cuban officials and the CIA director visited the island last week. However, he dismissed the likelihood of these contacts leading to an imminent agreement.

"The president's preference is always for a negotiated and peaceful agreement. That remains our preference with Cuba. But honestly, the chances of that happening with the current leadership are low," Rubio admitted.

He directly linked the Cuban crisis to U.S. national security, warning that a systemic collapse on the island—which he sees as imminent—would affect Washington through migration crises and violence. "Cuba is just 90 miles from our shores. If there's a systemic collapse in that country, which is where they're headed, we will be impacted," he cautioned.

Rubio also dismissed claims that U.S. policy equates to nation-building intervention: "That's not the case. We're dealing with something directly tied to U.S. national security."

GAESA and Economic Mismanagement

One of Rubio's most forceful arguments targeted the military conglomerate GAESA, accusing it of hoarding $18 billion in assets without contributing "a single cent" to the state's budget or energy infrastructure. "They haven't spent a peso on fixing their energy production or electrical grid, even when they were getting free Venezuelan oil. They've stolen the money and failed to invest in energy infrastructure," he asserted, explaining the chronic blackouts plaguing the island.

Charges Against Raúl Castro

During the press event, Rubio addressed the formal charges brought by a South Florida grand jury against Raúl Castro for the downing of two Brothers to the Rescue planes on February 24, 1996, which resulted in the deaths of Armando Alejandre Jr., Carlos Costa, Mario de la Peña, and Pablo Morales. The charges include conspiracy to kill American citizens, aircraft destruction, and four counts of murder.

"Raúl Castro openly admits and boasts about ordering the shooting down of civilian planes," Rubio emphasized, pointing out that the indictment was the grand jury's initiative, not the Executive's. When asked how Castro would be brought to the U.S., Rubio was terse: "I won't discuss how we'd bring him here. Why would I disclose our plans to the media?"

These statements come a day after Rubio released a Spanish-language video to the Cuban people on the 124th anniversary of the Republic, offering $100 million in food and medicine distributed by the Catholic Church and proposing a "new relationship" between the U.S. and Cuba "directly with the people, not with GAESA."

Rubio concluded his message with a stern warning summarizing Washington's stance: "The future of Cuba is for the Cuban people to decide regarding their governance and system. But the national security threat is something we will focus on 100 percent, as it concerns America."