Rubio says Cuba is threat to US as Havana accuses him of 'lies'

Cuba's foreign minister accused Rubio of trying to "instigate a military aggression". Cuba is a national security threat to the US, Rubio says How Cuban-Americans feel about Raúl Castro's indictment Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke to the press before travelling to Sweden for a Nato meeting US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to the press in front of a plane Rubio says Cuba is threat to US as Havana accuses him of 'lies' Cuba poses a "national security threat" to the US and the likelihood of a peaceful agreement is "not high", US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said. His comments come just a day after the US charged Cuba's former president Raúl Castro with murder over the 1996 downing of two planes resulting in the killing of US nationals. Rubio said Washington's preference was "a diplomatic solution" but warned that President Donald Trump had the right and obligation to protect his country against any threat. Cuba's Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez accused Rubio of "lies" and said the island had never posed a threat to the US. Man holding an "intervene now" sign in Miami, Florida. Three ways Cuba crisis could play out after US indictment of Raúl Castro Cuba's former President Raul Castro (R) and former Vice-President Jose Ramon Machado Ventura attend a May Day rally marking International Workers' Day in Havana on May 1, 2026. Russia and China condemn US over indictment of former Cuban leader Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Rubio said diplomacy "remains our preference with Cuba", but added: "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." He also accused Cuba of being "one of the leading sponsors of terrorism in the entire region", which Rodríguez vehemently denied in a post on X. The Cuban foreign minister criticised Rubio for trying to "instigate a military aggression" and accused the US government of "ruthlessly and systematically" attacking his country. Cuba is suffering from a fuel crisis exacerbated by an effective US oil blockade, while under pressure from the Trump administration to make a deal. Its citizens have experienced extended blackouts and food shortages over the last few months. Rubio said the country had accepted a US offer of $100m (£74.4m) in humanitarian aid. Trump has repeatedly sought to exert pressure on Cuba and has openly discussed toppling its communist regime. The US has demanded political and economic reforms but the specifics are unclear beyond a leadership change. They could include a pledge to open up the economy to more foreign investment and a commitment to end the presence of Russian or Chinese intelligence agencies on the island. Wednesday's indictment of the former Cuban president is seen by some as reminiscent of Trump's seizure of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in January. While speaking to reporters, Rubio was asked by the BBC whether - and how - his government would get Castro to the US to face the charges. He replied: "I'm not going to talk about how we're going to get him here, if we were trying to get him here, why would I say to the media what our plans are about that?" LISTEN: Americast team debate whether US will invade Cuba Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, who announced the charges in Miami on Wednesday, said the US "expect he will show up here, by his own will or another way". Rubio is the child of Cuban immigrants who left the island prior to the 1959 Cuban revolution. He represented Miami, with its large Cuban exile community, in the Florida state legislature prior to becoming a US senator for the state. He speaks fluent Spanish and, because of his upbringing and rise in Florida politics, has deep ties to the state's Cuban-American population. On Thursday, Rubio also announced on X that the US had arrested Adys Lastres Morera, the sister of one of the top officials of a Cuban military-run conglomerate that controls most of the lucrative parts of the country's economy. Morera was living in Florida "while also aiding Havana's communist regime", Rubio alleged. She was arrested by immigration enforcement and will remain in custody pending deportation proceedings. Watch: How Cuban-Americans feel about Raúl Castro's indictment Left, a man in a white shirt speaks to camera. Right, a woman in white shirt points her finger. Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump said Cuba was a "failed country" and that his administration was trying to help them "on a humanitarian basis". He said Cuban-Americans "want to go back to their country" and help Cuba succeed. "Other presidents have looked at this for 50, 60 years doing something and it looks like I'll be the one that does it, so I would be happy to do it," Trump said. A thin, grey banner promoting the US Politics Unspun newsletter. On the right, there is an image of North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher, wearing a blue suit and shirt and grey tie. Behind him is a visualisation of the Capitol Building on vertical red, grey and blue stripes. The banner reads: "The newsletter that cuts through the noise.” Follow the twists and turns of Trump's second term with North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher's weekly US Politics Unspun newsletter. Readers in the UK can sign up here. Those outside the UK can sign up here. Follow the twists and turns of Trump's second term with North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher's weekly President Donald Trump says he wants to send more troops to Poland, a week after his officials cancelled a similar deployment. Some lawmakers and legal experts say the department has violated federal law with its addendum to the settlement. The sanctions come amid growing scrutiny of Tanzania’s human rights record in recent years. The BBC's Michelle Fleury looks at trades disclosed by the president. The BBC speaks to Havana residents after the US charges the country's former leader, Raúl Castro, with murder. 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