Rubio urges Cubans to cooperate with CIA; Havana mocks recruitment call

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio publicly urged Cuban citizens seeking political change to establish discreet contact with the CIA. He wrote on social media that now is the time for those who want positive change in Cuba to seize the opportunity. Rubio did not provide further details about the partnership.

The appeal drew an immediate and sharp response from Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernandez de Cossio. He described the move as public recruitment for the CIA and said it reflected desperation or misery within the agency. Fernandez de Cossio compared the agency’s efforts to selling services like a tube of toothpaste.

“There must be a great deal of desperation or misery within the agency for it to be forced to sell its services like a tube of toothpaste.”

The exchange follows a period of rising tension between Washington and Havana. Relations have been strained under a US embargo dating to 1962, and worsened after the United States overturned Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro in a military operation in January. Washington also imposed a de facto oil blockade on the island, adopted new sanctions against Cuban companies and officials, and charged former president Raul Castro in a case dating to 1996.

Cuba is currently facing one of its most severe economic and energy crises in decades. The hostile rhetoric between the two governments has intensified as the Trump administration increases pressure on the communist-run island.

Rubio, whose parents are of Cuban origin, has positioned himself as a leading voice against communism in Washington. He denounced what he described as Havana’s support for left-wing extremist movements, including within the United States. The CIA later posted a video on X with instructions in Spanish for people wishing to provide information to the agency.