Rubio says US is hopeful 'Cuba will choose a different path'

Washington: Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed hope on Monday that Cuba would choose "a different path," cautioning that those who think they can endure President Donald Trump's administration will "learn the lesson the hard way" if they fail to alter course. The Trump administration has been aiming to alter Cuba's communist government.

An oil blockade imposed by the United States earlier this year has left the nation grappling with fuel shortages and power outages due to deteriorating infrastructure. "We are hopeful that Cuba will choose a different path," Rubio stated on Fox News host Sean Hannity's "Hannity" program, emphasizing Washington's optimism that "some people" influencing the Cuban government will "open their eyes to the reality of what they are facing."

"Unfortunately, those who continue to shout revolutionary slogans are mistaken, for they will face the consequences if they do not adapt," Rubio added. Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez stated on Saturday that Cuba remains open to dialogue with Washington. During the weekend, President Trump expressed optimism that the US and Cuba would reach an agreement and downplayed the likelihood of military intervention.

The US has maintained an embargo on Cuba for over six decades, and the Trump administration has intensified pressure on Havana following the US military's intervention in January to remove and seize then-Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. "They need to have free and fair elections in that country," Rubio commented on Venezuela during the Fox interview, but did not offer a specific timeline for such elections.