The United States has eased an oil embargo on Cuba, offering a glimmer of relief for the island’s struggling economy. However, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio emphasized that true improvement hinges on dramatic reforms by Havana, placing the responsibility squarely on the Cuban government for the nation’s historic economic crisis.
Rubio, a Cuban-American and longtime critic of the communist regime, raised concerns about how instability in Cuba could ripple across the Caribbean during his attendance at a Caribbean Community summit in Saint Kitts and Nevis.
The move follows the January 3 US operation that ousted Venezuela’s leftist leader Nicolas Maduro, after which the United States blocked Venezuela from exporting oil to Cuba. With Cuba previously relying on Venezuela for nearly half its oil needs, this action caused severe fuel shortages and rolling blackouts.
On Wednesday, the US Treasury Department clarified that Venezuelan oil could be exported to Cuba—but only if it goes to the private sector, a limited force in the communist-run country. Rubio warned that sanctions would return immediately if oil shipments ended up in government or military hands.
“Cuba needs to change—dramatically. This is the only chance it has to improve the quality of life for its people,” Rubio said.
He pointed to economic mismanagement and the lack of a thriving private sector as the root causes of Cuba’s hardship, adding that the communist system has been in collapse since Fidel Castro’s 1959 revolution.
Rising Warnings About Regional Stability
Rubio’s statements coincided with Cuban authorities announcing the deaths of four people on a Florida-registered speedboat, allegedly intending to infiltrate Cuba. While the US continues to investigate the unusual incident, details remain scarce.
Regional leaders echoed Rubio’s concerns. Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness warned that prolonged unrest in Cuba could trigger migration and humanitarian crises affecting the entire Caribbean. Saint Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Terrance Drew, who studied medicine in Cuba, highlighted food scarcity and streets littered with garbage as signs of a destabilized island.
Even Canada stepped in, pledging C$8 million (RM22.5 million) in aid to Cuba, signaling international concern for the humanitarian situation.
On Venezuela and Haiti
At the summit, Rubio defended the US’s operation in Venezuela, asserting that the country is better off than it was eight weeks ago. He stressed the need for fair, democratic elections without offering a concrete timeline.
Rubio also met with Haiti’s Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aime, expressing cautious optimism about setting up a UN-backed force to combat gangs and hoping for Haiti’s first elections in a decade.
