The United States Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, announced on Wednesday, January 14th, that the U.S. has sent the “first batch of humanitarian aid” to Cuba to assist local residents in recovering from the devastation caused by the hurricane “Melissa” last year.
Rubio stated on the social media platform X that the aid would be delivered directly to the Cuban people, bypassing the “illegitimate regime,” and reiterated the Trump administration’s commitment to “standing with the Cuban people.”
Amid the ongoing pressure on Cuba by the Trump administration in both political and economic aspects, this move is seen as a direct humanitarian action taken by the United States towards Cuba.
Last October, Hurricane “Melissa” made landfall in the Santiago de Cuba province as a Category 3 storm, causing extensive damage with houses collapsing, mountain roads blocked, and a significant number of buildings losing their roofs, especially in the southwest and northwest regions.
According to a report released by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) in December last year, approximately 2.2 million Cuban residents were affected by the disaster, facing severe shortages of safe shelter, clean water, electricity, transportation, and communication, leading to an “extremely dire” humanitarian situation.
Several days after the report was published, Rubio announced that the U.S. State Department had officially issued a “Humanitarian Assistance Statement,” initiating post-disaster support to Cuba. Despite the long-standing U.S. economic embargo on Cuba, regulations allow for exceptions for food, medicine, humanitarian aid, and disaster relief.
As per the situation update released by the U.S. State Department on January 14th, the Trump administration committed to providing a total of $3 million in disaster assistance. The initial aid will benefit around 6,000 households, approximately 24,000 individuals, focusing on the hardest-hit provinces of Santiago de Cuba, Holguín, Granma, and Guantánamo.
Two charter planes carrying aid departed from Miami on January 14th and 16th, landing in Holguín and Santiago de Cuba, respectively. Each flight transported over 500 sets of food kits and 650 sets of hygiene and water purification supplies; the remaining aid will be delivered by commercial ships in the following weeks.
The U.S. administration stated that all assistance would be distributed with the assistance of the Catholic Church to ensure transparency, avoid official interference, and include basic necessities such as food, water purification products, kitchenware, bed linens, blankets, and solar lighting equipment.
Rubio, known for his hardline stance against the communist regime in Cuba, reinstated financial sanctions against entities associated with the Cuban military and government shortly after taking office as Secretary of State in January last year. The State Department also announced the suspension of processing visa applications, including those from 75 countries, Cuba included.
With the recent military action and arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in early this month, tensions have escalated between the Trump administration and its allies towards Cuba.
President Trump issued a warning on his social media platform “Truth Social,” threatening to cut off energy and financial supplies to Cuba if no agreement with the U.S. is reached, without specifying the content of potential agreements.
In his post, Trump highlighted Cuba’s long-time reliance on Venezuela for oil and financial support, alleging that in exchange, Cuba provided so-called “security services” to the Maduro regime. He emphasized that this mutual relationship has now ended, affirming that the U.S. will not allow any oil or funds to flow to Cuba, promising “not a penny.”
Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel recently stated on the social media platform X that apart from maintaining technical contacts on immigration affairs, his government has not engaged in substantive discussions with the U.S. side.