Rubio urges Cubans to cooperate with the CIA, Havana responds with irony

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged Cubans who want political change to cooperate confidentially with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). The appeal comes as Washington increases pressure on Cuba’s communist government.

In a post on X, Rubio wrote that the time had come for those seeking positive change in Cuba to act. He cited citizens’ frustration with unfulfilled promises, corruption and the privileges enjoyed by a small minority, inviting them to pursue change through confidential cooperation with the CIA.

Cuban authorities responded with irony. Cuba’s Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernandez de Cossio reacted on X, questioning the motives and methods of U.S. authorities. He said the United States was now running public campaigns to recruit for the CIA.

According to Fernandez de Cossio, such an initiative could signal desperation within the U.S. agency. He compared the way it presented its offers to advertising a tube of toothpaste.

The exchange comes as the U.S. administration intensifies pressure on Cuba and relations between the two countries remain tense. Rubio’s appeal and the Cuban official’s response reflect the continuing political clash between Washington and Havana.

For now, the public statements provide no details of any specific recruitment operation. They do show, however, that the confrontation between the two sides is also playing out through messages addressed directly to Cuban citizens.