Marco Rubio says a deal with Cuba is ‘not likely’
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the chances of a negotiated peaceful agreement between the United States and Cuba are “not high.”
The United States has arrested the sister of a Cuban official who controls a huge Washington-approved military-run enterprise on the island, according to Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Mr. Addis Lastres Morera is the brother of the executive president of Grupo de Administración Empresarial, or GAESA, which stands for “Management Management Group.” U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement confirmed in a May 21 statement that Morella, who lived in Florida, was in U.S. custody awaiting deportation proceedings. U.S. officials believe Morella’s presence threatens U.S. interests and undermines U.S. foreign policy.
why is it important: Morella’s arrest comes as the Trump administration repeatedly presses Cuba to agree to sweeping economic and political changes on the Caribbean island. They are also openly discussing the overthrow of the Cuban government. Her seizure is the latest development in the White House’s efforts to address Cuba’s endgame.
What happens in Cuba could fundamentally alter business relations with the United States, a longtime regional adversary. Alternatively, Cuba could become the Pentagon’s next target, following operations in Venezuela and Iran. Some experts believe that further unraveling of the Cuban Missile Crisis could lead to a new wave of immigration to the mainland United States.
Mr. Rubio said Mr. Morella managed real estate assets while “supporting the communist regime in Havana.” Her sister is Ania Guillermina Lastres Morera. The Cuban government refers to her as GAESA’s “Brigadier General.” Cuban officials in Washington, London and Rome did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the allegations.
Rubio told reporters in Miami on May 21 that Cuba posed a “national security threat” to the United States and that it was “not likely” that the two long-time adversaries would come to a peaceful agreement. Cuba’s Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez pushed back, accusing Rubio of “lies” and saying the island had never posed a threat to the United States.
IOther recent U.S.-Cuba developments:
- The aircraft carrier Nimitz and three escort warships arrived in the Caribbean on the same day the Justice Department announced murder charges against former Cuban President Raul Castro, 94. The naval buildup mirrors what happened near Venezuela at the end of 2025. The naval buildup ended on January 3, when U.S. special forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Syria Flores.
- The Castro murder charge stems from the 1996 shooting down of two civilian planes in international waters, killing four people, three of them American, and one American resident. The evidence for his indictment is based on audio recordings of senior Cuban officials talking about shooting down the plane. This information was shared among U.S. intelligence officials and members of Congress. But until now, he has never taken action.
- A U.S. delegation led by CIA Director John Ratcliffe met with senior Cuban officials on May 14, conveying President Donald Trump’s message that the United States is willing to take economic and security issues seriously, but only if Cuba undergoes fundamental changes, including a promise that it is no longer a safe haven for U.S. adversaries in the Western Hemisphere.
- Rubio visited the Vatican in early May and met with Pope Leo XIV. Cuba and its spiraling humanitarian crisis were on the agenda. The two Americans met at a time when the Pope, President Donald Trump, and Trump’s Catholic vice president, J.D. Vance, are taking their differences over war, peace and church doctrine to spectacular new heights of rhetoric. Rubio slammed Cuba’s military junta and elite with new sanctions just hours after meeting with the first American pope.
- Cuban national security officials visited two prominent political prisoners on April 15, five days after U.S. and Cuban officials held secret talks in Havana and issued an ultimatum, according to a recording of the call obtained by USA TODAY. Investigators offered them the option of leaving Cuba or remaining in prison.
- USA TODAY reported in mid-April that military planning for a possible Pentagon-led operation in Cuba had been quietly underway for weeks in the event President Trump ordered an intervention in Cuba. USA TODAY first reported in early March that the Trump administration was moving forward with an economic deal with Cuba.
- cuba background:The Trump administration imposed an oil embargo on Cuba, pushing the country to the brink of humanitarian collapse. President Trump has a variety of options in Cuba, from pursuing an economic deal to regime change. All seem diverse and troubling, but each is fraught with political minefields.
- Learn more about Cuba:For Rubio, contempt for the Cuban government was practically a birthright. He grew up among Cuban exiles in Florida, and his political rise from local politician to U.S. senator was propelled by his unwavering hardline stance against Fidel Castro and his successors.
- US and Cuba timeline: A relationship defined by hostility, pressure, and regular cycles of violence.
- USA TODAY reported on the unfolding U.S.-Cuba story in Spanish.
