Cuba's Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla projected confidence that his government will survive U.S. pressure under President Trump, relying on a strategy of endurance similar to the past six decades. He argued that U.S. policy has failed for 60 years while Cuba adapted and resisted. Since January, the Trump administration has intensified sanctions and imposed an oil blockade, triggering Cuba's worst economic crisis in decades with blackouts, shuttered schools, and a strained health care system.
At the United Nations on Tuesday, Mr. Rodríguez directly confronted U.S. Ambassador Mike Waltz, marching up the aisle after Cuban delegates shouted accusations. The U.S. later expelled a Cuban diplomat involved. Meanwhile, Secretary of State Marco Rubio called publicly for recruits to aid efforts against the government, which Mr. Rodríguez dismissed as childish.
Despite growing desperation, Cuba has extended fuel supplies through rationing and solar projects. The U.S. Embassy in Cuba hinted at military coordination, and Mr. Trump floated sending a warship. State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott blamed Cuba's worsening conditions on its own government while claiming humanitarian aid was being sent.
Source: New York Times Top Stories · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing