US open to Cuba talks on government change, Marco Rubio says

Marco Rubio made comments after Trump called Cuba a ‘failed state’ at the UN, prompting Cuban delegation to walk out.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks during a press gaggle after meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York, on September 23, 2026 [Yuki Iwamura/Pool/AFP]

The United States says it is open to speaking with Havana about how it can make a political transition towards new leadership and end a decades-old trade embargo imposed since former leader Fidel Castro ‘s communist revolution in 1959 and the US’s recent blockade of the country.

“Cuba has a golden opportunity to place itself on an irreversible path towards a better future,” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday in New York City. “We are prepared to be helpful in that regard if they are open to it.”

list 1 of 3 US continues to squeeze Cuban economy with new round of sanctions

list 2 of 3 Cuba says no negotiations with US despite ‘genocidal’ blockade

list 3 of 3 Cuba works to restore power after another major nationwide blackout

Washington has previously said that it wants a change in Cuba’s government. Since earlier this year, the US has additionally imposed an oil blockade that has put the country under severe pressure, dealing with fuel shortages and ongoing blackouts. Cuban officials have also blamed it on problems providing food and other basic needs for its population.

Rubio said Washington was willing to work with some Cuban leaders – those whose “hands are not stained with blood”, he said – but also acknowledged that some were “at least publicly quite recalcitrant”.

Rubio, the child of Cubans who fled the country before the revolution, said businesses and investors from the US, including the Cuban diaspora, were ready to step in and help the country transition its economy if progress was made on political reforms.

Speaking at the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, US President Donald Trump called Cuba a “failed state,” and said his administration was willing to use military power against it when necessary, outlining a string of moves it has made in the region to protect Washington’s interests, including the abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

“My administration is also seeking a fundamental change in the situation in Cuba,” Trump said. “Where the communist regime is under great pressure, the biggest pressure they’ve ever been under.”

Trump’s remarks prompted the Cuban delegation to walk out of the assembly.

Cuban officials have denied any talks are going on with the US, which has sought to remove the post-revolutionary government in Havana ever since it came to power in 1959.

Earlier this month, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez called the US embargo against his country a policy of “ economic asphyxiation ,” and described the blockade as “genocidal”.

The Cuban government says the US embargo cost its economy $8bn between March 2025 and February 2026, the highest figure yet recorded and 7 percent more than in the previous reporting period.

The total does not include some of Washington’s more recent sanctions, including restrictions on the island’s energy supply imposed in January and secondary sanctions imposed in May, said Rodriguez.

Several world leaders at the UNGA criticised the US blockade in their speeches this year, including Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

“In Cuba, the world watches in dismay as 10 million people face collective punishment from an illegal economic embargo and energy siege,” he said on Tuesday.

Every year since 1992, the UNGA has adopted by a large majority a non-binding resolution calling for the lifting of the embargo imposed on Cuba by the US.

In July, a vote on whether to hold a debate on the resolution signalled a slight erosion in support for Cuba in the General Assembly, with 136 member states in favour, nine against, and 30 abstentions – including traditional supporters Germany and Canada.

在特朗普于联合国称古巴为“失败国家”后，马可·卢比奥发表了评论，导致古巴代表团愤然离场。

2026年9月23日，美国国务卿马可·卢比奥在纽约举行的第81届联合国大会期间与俄罗斯外长谢尔盖·拉夫罗夫会晤后，在新闻发布会上发表讲话。[Yuki Iwamura/Pool/AFP]

美国表示，愿意与哈瓦那方面讨论如何实现政治过渡，向新的领导层过渡，并结束自前领导人菲德尔·卡斯特罗1959年领导共产主义革命以来实施的长达数十年的贸易禁运，以及美国最近对该国的封锁。

美国国务卿马可·卢比奥周三在纽约表示：“古巴拥有一个千载难逢的机会，可以走上一条不可逆转的通往更美好未来的道路。如果他们愿意，我们准备在这方面提供帮助。”

（共3条）美国继续通过新一轮制裁挤压古巴经济（第1条）

古巴表示，尽管美国实施“种族灭绝式”封锁，但古巴不会与美国进行谈判（共3条记录，此为第2条）。

古巴在又一次全国性大停电后努力恢复电力供应（列表 3/3）

华盛顿此前曾表示希望古巴政权更迭。今年年初以来，美国还对古巴实施了石油封锁，使该国面临严峻压力，燃料短缺和持续停电问题。古巴官员也指责封锁导致其民众难以获得食品和其他基本生活必需品。

鲁比奥表示，华盛顿愿意与一些古巴领导人合作——他说，这些领导人“双手没有沾满鲜血”——但他同时也承认，有些古巴领导人“至少在公开场合相当顽固”。

鲁比奥的父母在古巴革命前逃离该国。他表示，如果古巴在政治改革方面取得进展，来自美国的企业和投资者，包括古巴侨民，都准备介入并帮助该国进行经济转型。

美国总统唐纳德·特朗普周二在联合国大会上发表讲话，称古巴为“失败国家”，并表示他的政府愿意在必要时对古巴动用军事力量。他还概述了美国为保护其在该地区利益而采取的一系列行动，包括绑架委内瑞拉总统尼古拉斯·马杜罗。

特朗普说：“我的政府也在寻求从根本上改变古巴的局势。古巴的共产主义政权正面临巨大压力，这是他们有史以来面临的最大压力。”

特朗普的言论导致古巴代表团退出了大会。

古巴官员否认正在与美国进行任何谈判。自1959年美国在哈瓦那掌权以来，美国一直试图推翻革命后的古巴政府。

本月初，古巴外交部长布鲁诺·罗德里格斯称美国对古巴的禁运是“经济窒息”政策，并将封锁描述为“种族灭绝”。

古巴政府表示，美国对古巴的禁运在 2025 年 3 月至 2026 年 2 月期间给古巴经济造成了 80 亿美元的损失，这是迄今为止记录到的最高数字，比上一个报告期增加了 7%。

罗德里格斯表示，总额还不包括华盛顿最近的一些制裁措施，包括1月份对该岛能源供应实施的限制以及5月份实施的二级制裁。

今年联合国大会上，包括巴西总统路易斯·伊纳西奥·卢拉·达席尔瓦在内的几位世界领导人在讲话中批评了美国的封锁。

“在古巴，全世界都震惊地看着1000万古巴人民因非法的经济封锁和能源围困而面临集体惩罚，”他周二表示。

自 1992 年以来，联合国大会每年都以绝对多数票通过一项不具约束力的决议，呼吁解除美国对古巴实施的禁运。

7 月，联合国大会就该决议是否举行辩论进行投票，结果显示对古巴的支持略有下降，136 个成员国赞成，9 个成员国反对，30 个成员国弃权——其中包括传统支持者德国和加拿大。