The White House's Cuba Strategy: An Instrument to Shape the Midterms and Restore U.S. Leverage After the Beijing Summit

On May 20, 2026 — Cuba’s Independence Day — Secretary of State Rubio addressed the Cuban people in a public speech. The statement demonstrated a fundamental shift in the Republican administration’s approach to the future development of U.S.-Cuban relations.

Marco Rubio publicly combined unwavering sanctions pressure on the island with an offer of humanitarian assistance through the Catholic Church — one of the last remaining mediators between Havana and Washington.

Despite the humanitarian proposals advanced by the United States, Rubio’s speech outlined the need to dismantle the Cuban regime, given that the policy of intensified diplomatic pressure on the island has produced no change in the foreign-policy orientation of the Díaz-Canel government.