US secretary of state Marco Rubio said Washington hopes Cuba will choose “a different path” from communism, warning the Cuban government to recognise the consequences of failing to change course.“We are hopeful that Cuba will choose a different path,” Rubio told Fox News, adding that he hoped “some people” controlling the Cuban government would “open their eyes to the reality of what they are facing.”US President Donald Trump has previously expressed his intention to change Cuba’s communist government.Rubio also warned those who believe they can wait out the Trump administration that they would “learn the lesson the hard way” if they refuse to change course.“Unfortunately, the people that continue there to chant revolutionary slogans, too many of them still believe that they could wait out this administration and make no changes or do nothing,” Rubio said.Speaking at the UN General Assembly on Saturday, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez said Havana would always remain open to dialogue with Washington.Over the weekend, Trump predicted that the US and Cuba would reach an agreement and said he did not believe military action would be necessary.The US has maintained an embargo on Cuba for more than 60 years, while the Trump administration has increased pressure on Havana. This has included actions against Venezuela, where the US military removed and seized former president Nicolas Maduro in January.An oil blockade imposed by the US earlier this year has put further strain on Cuba as the island grapples with fuel shortages and blackouts exacerbated by deteriorating infrastructure.Turning to Venezuela in the same interview, Rubio said the country “need[s] to have free and fair elections”.He added that Washington was working to establish the conditions needed to hold such elections “as soon as possible”, but gave no timeline.
