US Secretary of State Rubio rejected blame for the crisis in Cuba; Cuba reported record damage from the blockade

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio rejected claims of a possible crisis in Cuba and said that the US was not involved in the deterioration of the situation on the island.

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla reported record damage from the US trade and financial blockade, which from March 1, 2025 to February 28, 2026 reached $8.083 billion.

The United States has expanded sanctions against Cuba, including three leaders of the Cuban Institute of Friendship with Peoples and nine organizations on the list.

WASHINGTON, September 9 – RIA Novosti. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio rejected claims about a possible crisis in Cuba, saying that the US, which organized the economic blockade, was allegedly not involved in the deterioration of the situation on the island.

In September, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla reported record damage that the country had suffered from the US trade and financial blockade. According to him, for the period from March 1, 2025 to February 28, 2026, this amount reached $8.083 billion, which is 7% more than the previous record figure. The minister added that over decades of American pressure, Cuba's total losses in current prices amounted to $178.7 billion, which does not take into account the damage from the energy embargo and secondary US sanctions.

"I think it's important to remind everyone that this didn't start last week. For three or four years, maybe longer, Cuba has been experiencing a humanitarian catastrophe," Rubio told reporters in Colombia.

The Secretary of State shifted all responsibility for the humanitarian crisis on the island to local authorities.

In August, the United States expanded sanctions against Cuba, including three leaders of the Cuban Institute of Friendship with Peoples (ICAP) and nine organizations, including the Ministry of Construction. Enterprises in the mining, metallurgical, foreign trade and other industries were also subject to restrictions.

Cuba's Foreign Minister previously said that new US measures impede the provision of basic services to the population.