The United States intensified its diplomatic pressure on Cuba’s communist government Tuesday, demanding more substantial free market reforms as the Caribbean nation struggles to recover from a devastating nationwide power outage. The pressure comes amid growing economic turmoil on the island following the loss of Venezuela as its primary regional ally and oil supplier.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking to reporters at the White House, criticized Cuba’s recently announced measures allowing exiles to invest and own businesses as insufficient. “What they announced yesterday is not dramatic enough. It’s not going to fix it. So they’ve got some big decisions to make,” stated Rubio, a Cuban-American and longstanding critic of Cuba’s ruling party.
The comments were reinforced by President Donald Trump, who hinted at imminent action regarding US-Cuba relations. “We’ll be doing something with Cuba very soon,” the president declared, just one day after suggesting he would “take” Cuba in previous remarks.
The diplomatic pressure coincides with a complete electrical grid failure that paralyzed Cuba on Monday, highlighting the precarious state of the country’s infrastructure and economy. This crisis compounds existing challenges following Venezuela’s departure as Cuba’s chief oil supplier after a US military operation removed socialist leader Nicolas Maduro from power in January.
Washington has openly stated its objective to resolve the nearly seven-decade standoff with the one-party communist state, placing Cuba’s authorities under increasingly significant pressure to implement substantial economic and political reforms.