Cuban diplomats defy US pressure as island economy crumbles

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla stated that the United States must change its policies toward the island, regardless of which American administration is in power. He made the comment at a news conference last week before a United Nations vote on the US economic embargo against Cuba. The statement signaled that Havana intends to maintain its current stance despite intensifying pressure from Washington.

US President Donald Trump vowed to apply military and economic force against Cuba following his recent actions in Iran. Speaking at a campaign rally in Florida on Friday, he described a plan to position US ships near the Cuban coast. "What we’re going to do with Cuba is, we’re going to come back from Iran," Trump said. "Those beautiful ships will pass Cuba. We’ll have one of them stop about 50 yards off the coast. They’ll raise up their hands." The administration has already cut off oil supplies needed for the island's electrical grid and expanded sanctions in his second term.

US officials say they will continue applying pressure until Cuba opens its political system and economy. The demands include allowing Cuban exiles to return and invest more freely, as well as ending alliances with Russia and China. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is of Cuban descent, posted on X on Friday that the time was ripe for disaffected officials within the Cuban government to seek change. He invited them to form a "discrete partnership with the CIA." Cuban diplomat Carlos Fernández de Cossío responded on the same platform, mocking the open recruitment effort as a sign of desperation within the US intelligence community.

Economic disparity on the island has widened sharply in recent years. While a small group of importers have made fortunes by finding loopholes in the embargo, many residents face daily shortages. Women carrying children now beg at traffic lights while luxury vehicles pass by. In Havana, a gourmet store sells Wagyu steaks and Russian caviar to the elite, while a retired construction worker named Armando Ruiz waited in line for three hours to collect his pension. Ruiz said his monthly payment of 3,900 pesos, worth less than five dollars at black market rates, was only enough to buy a small amount of food.

Cuban officials believe they can wait out the current US administration. They argue that if the US remains focused on the war in Iran or if political shifts occur in upcoming mid-term elections, regime change may drop down Trump's list of priorities. However, any potential deal faces opposition from anti-communist Cuban exiles in Miami. The government has announced reforms allowing citizens to amass wealth, but many residents say only insiders with the right connections are benefiting from the shift toward a more capitalist model. Power outages continue to disrupt daily life, causing delays in pension payments and other essential services.