This Tuesday, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla took to his X account to refute claims that the Cuban government had been formally offered $100 million in humanitarian assistance by the United States. He dismissed U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio's statement as a "tale" and a "$100 million lie."
"Someone should question the U.S. Secretary of State about the tale of the alleged $100 million humanitarian aid offer to Cuba, which nobody here has heard of," Rodríguez Parrilla stated.
The foreign minister demanded clarification on who would provide the money, whether it would be in cash or goods, which company would supply the products, how it would be distributed in Cuba, and when exactly it was officially offered to Cuban authorities.
This denial comes four days after Rubio, speaking from Rome, claimed that Washington had offered $100 million in humanitarian aid, which the Cuban government had allegedly refused to distribute among its people.
"We have extended an offer of $100 million in humanitarian aid to the regime, which, regrettably, they have not yet agreed to distribute to help the Cuban people," Rubio declared.
Rubio's comments followed a meeting with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican, where the discussion primarily focused on Cuba and expanding humanitarian assistance.
Distribution Through the Church
Washington chose the Catholic Church and Caritas as the channels for distributing the aid, specifically to bypass Cuban state intervention, a central point of the diplomatic tension.
Rubio noted that $6 million had already been distributed via Caritas and the Catholic Church as part of the relief efforts following Hurricane Melissa, which struck Cuba on October 29, 2025, as a Category 3 storm, affecting over 2.2 million people in the eastern part of the island.
Last Thursday, Caritas Cuba reported that it had completed 82% of the initial $3 million donation, benefiting 8,800 families across Santiago de Cuba, Holguín, Las Tunas, Granma, and Guantánamo.
Cuban Government's Response
Cuban Vice Minister Carlos Fernández de Cossío had previously labeled the offer a "dirty political maneuver" last Saturday, associating it with the potential for military aggression. On Sunday, he accused those involved in efforts to "normalize U.S. military aggression threats" against Cuba of being "accomplices."
This Tuesday, the State Department attempted to de-escalate tensions by stating that Trump would not allow Cuba to "deteriorate into a greater threat to U.S. national security."
The dispute is set against a backdrop of escalating U.S. pressure: since January 2026, the Trump administration has imposed more than 240 sanctions on Cuba, intercepted at least seven oil tankers, and slashed the island's energy imports by 80% to 90%.
Rodríguez Parrilla ended his message with a rhetorical question that encapsulates the Cuban government's stance: "Is it a donation, a deception, or a dirty deal to undermine our independence? Wouldn't it be simpler to lift the fuel blockade?"
Key Questions on the U.S.-Cuba Aid Controversy
What did the U.S. offer to Cuba?
The United States reportedly offered $100 million in humanitarian aid to Cuba, which the Cuban government has denied receiving.
How is the U.S. planning to distribute the aid?
The U.S. planned to distribute the aid through the Catholic Church and Caritas to avoid Cuban state intervention.
What is the Cuban government's response to the aid offer?
Cuban officials have denied receiving the aid offer and have criticized it as a political maneuver possibly linked to military threats.