Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the Trump administration would “like to see” regime change in Cuba, noting however that such a notion “doesn’t mean we’re going to make a change.”
The remark took place during a hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, when Democratic Sen. Brian Schatz asked Rubio to rule out U.S.-backed regime change in the country. Rubio declined, saying “we would love to see it change.”
The remark stands in contrast with reports claiming that the administration is actively seeking such an outcome, including considering a total blockade on oil imports to the country.
Politico detailed last week that the initiative is resisted by some in the administration but has Rubio’s backing.
There are ongoing debates about whether it is necessary to go that far, considering the country is going through its worst crisis in the almost 70 years since the Communist revolution. Such a step could exacerbate a humanitarian crisis and see the U.S. take the blame for it. No decision has been made.
Mexico’s state-run oil company Pemex stopped a shipment to Cuba scheduled for this month amid pressure from the Trump administration.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, however, rejected claims that the halting of oil shipments to Cuba was prompted by pressure from Washington, framing the decision as a sovereign policy choice shaped by state oil company Pemex’s contractual considerations.
She added that shipments considered humanitarian aid will continue. “Humanitarian aid to Cuba, like to other countries, continues. Mexico has always shown solidarity with the entire world. They are sovereign decisions. The issue regarding the contract has to do with Pemex.”
Cuba is already experiencing economic collapse. According to a recent poll, over three in four Cubans intend to flee the country. The survey was conducted by the Social Rights Observatory during the summer and reported by the Wall Street Journal as part of a broader piece about the country’s crumbling economy.
The same poll showed that seven in ten respondents go at least without a meal a day and nearly 90% live in extreme poverty. Moreover, for over 70% of Cubans their main concerns are the lack of food and constant blackouts.
Some 2.7 million people have already left Cuba since 2020, a quarter of the population. Hundreds of thousands have gone to the U.S., Havana-based demographer Juan Carlos Albizu-Campos told the outlet.
Originally published on Latin Times
