Bruno Rodríguez Labels Marco Rubio's Call to Collaborate with CIA as "Childish"

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla dismissed with disdain the public appeal made by U.S. Senator Marco Rubio for recruiting informants in Cuba, describing it as unserious and even childish in an exclusive interview with the New York Times published on Thursday.

"Honestly, I have no idea what the senator intends with these statements. Frankly, they don't appear to be serious at all; they seem rather childish," stated Rodríguez, who has been leading Cuban diplomacy for 17 years.

Rodríguez's remarks were in response to Rubio's October 23 post on social media platform X, where he urged Cubans to "seize this opportunity to create the change you desire through discreet collaboration with the CIA."

The following day, the CIA itself released a seven-step guide in Spanish with operational security instructions for Cubans to contact them anonymously, accompanied by a video shared on its social media accounts.

Experts have described this coordinated effort between the State Department and the CIA as unprecedented: it marks the first instance where a U.S. senator openly calls for the recruitment of informants in a foreign country via social media.

Escalating Tensions Between Washington and Havana

The interview with the NYT took place at the Cuban mission to the UN in New York, during a week marked by escalating tensions between Washington and Havana.

On the previous Tuesday, Rodríguez was involved in a heated exchange at the General Assembly, interrupting the speech of U.S. Ambassador Mike Waltz, who was accusing Cuban officials of corruption, with shouting and pounding on the table.

This marked the third occasion in a year that the Cuban foreign minister interrupted a U.S. diplomat at the UN.

During the incident, a member of the Cuban delegation yelled at Waltz, "You are a liar!" to which the ambassador replied, "Return to your seat! Do you understand who you are dealing with?"

The episode led to the expulsion of Cuban diplomat Richard Tur de la Concepción, the first secretary of the Cuban mission to the UN, accused of attempting to seize the phone of a U.S. official who was recording the protest.

Cuba's Stance Amid Unprecedented Pressure

Despite the unparalleled pressure from Washington, Rodríguez emphasized that Cuba will endure "as long as necessary" and that U.S. policy "will have to change; it is inevitable."

However, the foreign minister acknowledged that he had never before faced a campaign of pressure of this magnitude in his 17 years at the helm of Cuban diplomacy.

U.S. officials have admitted to the NYT that they are in search of a "sympathetic and pliable" figure within the Cuban regime, akin to the role Delcy Rodríguez played in Venezuela following Nicolás Maduro's capture. The public solicitation of spies, according to the report, indicates they are struggling to find such an individual.

State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott did not hold back criticism: "The failed Cuban regime continues to blame the U.S. and everyone else for its own incompetence and corruption."

UN Vote Highlights Growing Isolation of Cuba

The annual UN resolution against the embargo on Cuba, approved on Wednesday, highlighted Havana's increasing isolation: only 130 countries supported it — the lowest level since 1992 — while 17 voted against and 25 abstained.

Ric Herrero, director of the Cuba Study Group, questioned the resistance strategy championed by the Cuban foreign minister: "It's easy for Bruno to claim they are resisting when the Cuban people are the ones truly suffering the consequences. The harsh reality is that Cuba stands alone. They can resist, but it’s merely a controlled decline. Ultimately, they are heading towards an abyss."