Rubio says Cuba is a U.S. national security priority; Díaz-Canel responds

November 10, 2026

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the son of Cuban parents, said on Monday, November 9, 2026 that Cuba's situation poses "a threat to the national security and national interests" of the United States, according to Europa Press and Infobae. Europa Press placed his remarks at a press appearance in Paris, where he was attending a G7 foreign ministers' meeting.

Rubio said Washington's goal is for Cubans to have more economic and political freedom, and argued that the island's authorities want the population to depend "100%" on the state. He noted that the embargo "is codified in law and requires political freedom in order to lift it." He also questioned how the military-linked conglomerate GAESA handles resources; according to Infobae, he did not present specific documentation in that exchange. "Ultimately, our purpose is for Cuba to have a better future," he said.

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel responded on social media that "Cuba's future will never be decided from the north" and that "Cuba is not a threat, the blockade is." He described U.S. measures, including restrictions on fuel supplies amid the island's energy crisis, as "collective punishment," and said Cuba "will keep fighting for truth and justice," per Europa Press.

The remarks follow other recent statements by Rubio on Cuba and the Cuban government's replies to each. Washington and Havana hold opposing views on the embargo: the United States presents it as a tool to encourage political change, while Cuba blames it for much of its economic hardship.