Rubio doubtful of diplomacy with Cuba as Trump raises new threat of military action

Trump and Rubio Address Cuba Policy Options, Stressing Diplomatic Preference

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Thursday that previous administrations had considered steps regarding Cuba for decades and that he might be the one to act, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the administration prefers a negotiated resolution but doubts one can be reached with Cuba’s current government.

Trump made the remarks during an environmental event in the Oval Office. “Other presidents have looked at this for 50, 60 years, doing something,” he told reporters. “And it looks like I’ll be the one that does it. So I would be happy to do it.”

Rubio, speaking in Miami before traveling to a NATO meeting in Sweden and then to India, said the administration’s first choice remains a peaceful agreement. “Trump’s preference is always a negotiated agreement that’s peaceful. That’s always our preference. That remains our preference with Cuba,” Rubio said. He added that the likelihood of such an outcome “given who we’re dealing with right now, is not high.”

Rubio described Cuba as a national security concern due to its security and intelligence ties with China and Russia and its relations with other U.S. adversaries in Latin America. He said past Cuban governments had relied on “buying time and waiting us out,” but that the current approach would not allow that. Top Trump administration officials, including Rubio and CIA Director John Ratcliffe, have held talks with Cuban counterparts in recent months. Those discussions did not produce progress, and additional sanctions were imposed in the past week.

When asked about the possible use of force to alter Cuba’s political system, Rubio reiterated that a diplomatic settlement is preferred while noting that “the president always has the option to do whatever it takes to support and protect the national interest.” He rejected characterizations of the policy as nation-building and framed it as addressing a national security matter.

The comments followed the Justice Department’s announcement on Wednesday of an indictment against former Cuban leader Raúl Castro. Prosecutors charged him with ordering the 1996 shootdown of two civilian aircraft operated by the Miami-based group Brothers to the Rescue. The planes had previously entered Cuban airspace on multiple occasions and dropped anti-government leaflets; Cuban authorities maintained that the flights violated its territory. The indictment, returned by a grand jury in April, includes counts of murder and destruction of an aircraft. Castro, who turns 95 next month, has not commented publicly on the charges.

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel described the indictment as a political move intended to justify possible military action. The United States has not detailed how it intends to pursue the case against Castro.

The Trump administration has increased economic pressure on Cuba since taking office, including an energy blockade that has contributed to widespread blackouts, fuel shortages, and economic contraction on the island. This month the administration imposed new sanctions, including measures targeting Grupo de Administración Empresarial S.A., a conglomerate linked to the Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces. On Thursday Rubio announced that the sister of the group’s executive president, who had been living in the United States, had her green card revoked and was taken into Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody.

“Past administrations have permitted the families of Cuban military elites, Iranian terrorists and other reprehensible organizations to enjoy lavish lifestyles in our country funded by stolen blood-money, while the people they repress at home suffer in increasingly dire circumstances,” Rubio said in a statement. Cuba has faced repeated international criticism over human rights practices, including documented restrictions on political expression, assembly, and independent media, as well as reports of arbitrary detentions.

Trump has linked further U.S. policy steps to demands that Cuba open its economy to American investment and reduce ties with U.S. adversaries. China has opposed the sanctions, with Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun stating Thursday that Beijing supports Cuba’s sovereignty and opposes external interference.

The USS Nimitz carrier strike group arrived in the Caribbean on the same day the Castro indictment was unsealed. U.S. Southern Command described the deployment as part of maritime exercises with Latin American partners that began in March. Rubio declined to discuss operational details related to enforcing the indictment.