U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the Trump administration would increase economic pressure on Cuba through an unprecedented sanctions campaign. Rubio said additional sanctions would be imposed on Cuba but that Washington was not rushing to do so.
In an interview with Axios on Friday, Rubio argued that U.S. foreign policy had lost its sense of patience and continuity. The secretary said he was confident that by the end of the Trump administration’s term, Cuba would be on a path toward a different future that could not be reversed.
All avenues for circumventing sanctions to be closed
Rubio said the purpose of the sanctions was to block every channel the Cuban government could use to circumvent the measures. He said that if Cuba’s government developed a new method to evade the sanctions, they would close that avenue as well.
The U.S. secretary of state noted that the pressure policy would not end soon and would continue for the next 2.5 years.
Energy crisis deepens in Cuba
During the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, relations between the United States and Cuba entered a confrontational phase. A change in government became one of the Trump administration’s stated objectives in its Cuba policy.
Washington’s oil blockade and comprehensive sanctions have increased pressure on Havana, while causing months of power outages and an unstable electricity grid across the country.