Rubio, traveling with President Donald Trump during a visit to China, said Cuba’s deepening economic turmoil stemmed from structural failures and corruption rather than US sanctions, which Havana has long blamed for shortages and financial distress.“It’s a broken, nonfunctional economy, and it’s impossible to change it,” Rubio told Fox News aboard Air Force One.

“I don’t think we’re going to be able to change the trajectory of Cuba as long as these people are in charge in that regime.”Cuba has been grappling with severe economic disruption and energy shortages, with authorities reporting that around 65% of the island experienced electricity blackouts on Tuesday.

The US State Department publicly renewed the $100 million assistance proposal, saying the package would include humanitarian support and funding aimed at expanding “fast and free” Internet access across the island.

“The regime refuses to allow the United States to provide this assistance to the Cuban people,” the department said in a statement, adding that Cuban authorities would be accountable if they rejected “critical life-saving aid.”Washington last week imposed new sanctions targeting key entities within Cuba’s state-controlled economy and foreign partners linked to the sector.

Trump has recently intensified pressure on leftist governments in Latin America and has suggested Cuba could become a future target of broader US strategic efforts after the removal of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro earlier this year.

Cuban authorities rejected Rubio’s characterization of the crisis and blamed US restrictions for worsening fuel shortages and economic instability.President Miguel Díaz-Canel said the worsening conditions were caused by what he described as a US “energy blockade,” accusing Washington of threatening countries supplying fuel to Cuba with punitive tariffs.

Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla dismissed Rubio’s claims that Havana had rejected the aid proposal, calling the assertion “a lie” and questioning whether the offer was intended to undermine Cuban sovereignty.

Cuba has witnessed a series of small but increasingly visible protests in recent months as residents face prolonged blackouts, fuel shortages and rising economic hardship.

Witnesses told AFP that demonstrators in parts of Havana banged pots and pans and demanded electricity be restored following new power outages.Cuba’s fuel imports have sharply declined since the United States moved earlier this year against Venezuela’s leadership, reducing energy support from Caracas.

Since then, only one Russian oil tanker has reportedly reached the island.The Trump administration previously provided $6 million in humanitarian aid to Cuba through Catholic Church-linked charities, which have historically acted as intermediaries between Washington and Havana.