Rubio Refutes Claims That US Imposed Oil Blockade on Cuba

‘There’s no oil blockade on Cuba per se,’ Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters.

State Secretary Marco Rubio speaks during a press briefing at the White House on May 5, 2026. Madalina Kilroy/The Epoch Times

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has blamed the Cuban regime for the country’s ongoing crisis, while pushing back against claims that the United States imposed an oil blockade on the island nation.

Speaking to reporters at the White House on May 5, Rubio suggested that Cuba was no longer receiving oil from Venezuela because Caracas no longer wanted to provide the island nation with “free oil.”