USA Rubio: Agreement with Cuba is currently unlikely
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio currently sees little chance of his country reaching a diplomatic agreement with Cuba. US President Donald Trump's preference is always to negotiate an agreement, he said before his trip to Sweden. "That is always our preference, and that remains our preference in relation to Cuba". At the same time, however, Rubio also emphasized: "The likelihood of that happening is not high given the people we are dealing with right now".
21.05.2026, 18:35
SDA
However, if they change their position, the US will be there - "and in the meantime, we will continue to do what we need to do". Rubio said that the US was in contact with Cubans through its diplomatic staff, for example. He also confirmed that the head of the US foreign intelligence service CIA, John Ratcliffe, was recently on site. There are also some contacts that go through his State Department, Rubio said. "I just don't see much," he began, then broke off and ended his sentence by saying that Havana would ultimately have to make a decision.
"Your system is not working properly. Your economic system is not working. It's broken and you can't fix it with the current political system." Cuba is surrounded by countries where people have the right to own businesses and to vote freely, Rubio said. In Havana, however, there currently appear to be no leaders who are open to such changes.
USA has been putting Cuba under pressure for months
Talks have been going on between Washington and Havana for several months, but little has been revealed about their content so far. According to media reports, a grandson of Cuba's former head of state Raúl Castro is set to play a central role in the talks: Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro. He is considered to be the closest confidant of his grandfather, who was recently indicted in the USA.
The US government made this step public on Wednesday - thereby increasing the pressure on the socialist-ruled Caribbean state. It has been putting Cuba under intense pressure for months, imposing sanctions and even threatening to take over the island state.
