Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez on Thursday leveled strong accusations at U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, saying the U.S. official is manufacturing falsehoods to incite military confrontation between Havana and Washington.
Rodriguez asserted that Rubio has been falsely characterizing Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism and suggested that these allegations are part of an effort to set the countries on a collision course that could generate casualties on both sides.
"The U.S. Secretary of State lies once again to instigate a military aggression that would provoke the shedding of Cuban and American blood," Rodriguez said.
In addition to disputing the terrorism label, the foreign minister insisted that Cuba poses no threat to U.S. security. He accused Washington of deliberately pursuing measures intended to bring about economic collapse and social despair inside Cuba.
Rodriguez went on to say that Rubio understands that unilateral coercive measures are the principal barrier to Cuba's economic progress, and he accused the United States of actively promoting conditions of desperation among the Cuban population and contributing to the breakdown of the country's economy.
The remarks reiterate Havana's long-standing position that pressure from U.S. policy - described by Rodriguez as unilateral coercive measures - is central to the country's economic difficulties and to mounting social strain.
Rodriguez's comments were delivered in clear, forceful language and focused on two linked themes: that specific statements by Rubio are both untrue and dangerous, and that U.S. actions have broader economic and societal consequences for Cuba. Beyond those assertions, the foreign minister emphasized the prospect of human costs - both Cuban and American - if tensions escalate into military confrontation.
The statements represent a pointed diplomatic rebuke and frame the dispute in terms of both national security rhetoric and economic coercion, as described by the Cuban government.
Clear summary: Cuba's foreign minister accused U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio of lying to provoke military aggression, of falsely labeling Cuba a state sponsor of terrorism, and of seeking to impose unilateral coercive measures that hinder Cuba's economic development and create social desperation.