U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Thursday (May 21) that the chances of reaching a negotiated and peaceful agreement with Cuba were “not high,” as Washington intensified pressure on the island’s communist government.
Speaking to reporters before departing for a NATO foreign ministers meeting in Sweden, Rubio said the United States still preferred diplomacy in its dealings with Havana, despite growing tensions between the two countries, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.
"That remains our preference with Cuba," he told reporters. "I'm just being honest with you, you know, the likelihood of that happening, given who we're dealing with right now, is not high. But if they have a change of heart, you know, we're here. And in the meantime, we'll keep doing what we need to do."
The comments come as President Donald Trump pursues a tougher policy toward Cuba, including calls for “regime change” on the island, where the Communist Party has remained in power since the 1959 revolution led by Fidel Castro.
Rubio also said Cuba had accepted a U.S. offer of $100 million in humanitarian aid.
On Wednesday, the United States announced murder charges against former Cuban President Raúl Castro, marking a significant escalation in already strained relations between the longtime Cold War adversaries.
Rubio rejected suggestions that Washington was pursuing a nation-building agenda in Cuba.
"It's not nation-building," he told reporters before leaving for a NATO ministers meeting in Sweden. "We are addressing something that's directly related to the national security of the United States."
By Aghakazim Guliyev
