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The U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, believes that weakening Nicolás Maduro's government in Venezuela could be the decisive blow against the Cuban communist regime, according to an extensive report by The New York Times.
Rubio, the son of Cuban emigrants who settled in Florida before the victory of the 1959 revolution, has made the Caracas-Havana relationship the central focus of his policy towards Latin America.
His theory, presented both publicly and privately, holds that cutting off Venezuela's economic and intelligence support to Cuba would lead to a political collapse on the island.
The New York Times describes Rubio as one of President Donald Trump's key strategists in the military and economic pressure campaign against Maduro's regime.
Although the stated goal is to "restore Venezuelan democracy," government sources acknowledge that the Republican politician also seeks to weaken Castroism.
"His theory of change involves cutting all support to Cuba. Once Venezuela falls, Cuba will follow," stated Juan González, former advisor to President Joe Biden on Latin America, in an interview with the newspaper.
In previous interviews, Rubio has been clear: "Anything that is bad for a communist dictatorship is something I support."
According to former advisors quoted by the newspaper, the senator from Florida, who has built his career on growing support from the Cuban exiled community, was constantly speaking in the Senate and with diplomats about the need to isolate the regime in Havana and break its alliance with Caracas.
The failed military uprising of 2019 in Venezuela reinforced his suspicions. U.S. intelligence reports indicated that Cuban agents alerted Nicolás Maduro to the uprising attempt, which allowed the Venezuelan dictator to crush it quickly.
"The only blow is the one delivered by Cuba in support of the dictator Maduro," Rubio wrote on social media.
In recent months, Washington has intensified its military operations in the Caribbean and increased sanctions on officials from both countries.
Trump himself has demanded over the phone that Maduro step down, while the White House ordered the seizure of a vessel carrying Venezuelan oil destined for Cuba.
For Rubio and his Republican allies, including Senator Lindsey Graham, these measures are part of a long-term strategy: “If Maduro falls, we can focus on Cuba, one of the most repressive regimes in our backyard,” Graham wrote on X on Friday.
However, experts warn that the Cuban regime has survived decades of sanctions and isolation.
Supported by Russia and China, the government of Miguel Díaz-Canel and Raúl Castro continues to resist, albeit with increasingly limited resources and growing social discontent within the island.
As the Trump administration intensifies its stance on Venezuela, Rubio remains focused on his goal: to economically suffocate Havana in order to bring about the collapse of Castroism.
His message is clear and direct: without Maduro, Cuba runs out of oxygen, he indicates.
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