Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the only way for the U.S. to ease pressure on the Cuban regime is through greater political and economic freedom for the people.
“It is important for the Cuban people to have more freedom, not just politically but also economically,” Rubio said to Bloomberg.
"That is what this regime has not been willing to give them, because they fear that if the Cuban people manage to sustain themselves, they will lose control over them," he added.
Rubio, who is attending the Munich Security Conference, stated that the Cuban economic model has failed and that the regime is in a desperate situation because it is not receiving subsidies from any other country.
He also expressed the Trump Administration's willingness to provide more humanitarian assistance.
Regarding the policy to be followed, he/she did not wish to provide further details: “Obviously, these things require space and time to be done correctly.”
"Without a doubt, their willingness to start paving the way in this regard is a potential path for progress," he concluded, referring to the regime.
These statements from Rubio come shortly after another interview emerged this same Saturday where the Cuban-American made a strong criticism against the ruling elite in Havana.
Rubio defined the current crisis as a direct result of an exhausted political and economic model, whose main obstacle—he asserted—is the regime's desire to maintain absolute control over all strategic sectors.
"The fundamental problem that Cuba faces is that it has no economy, and the people in charge of the country, who are in control of it, do not know how to improve the daily lives of their citizens without relinquishing power over the sectors they control," he stated in remarks reported by European sources.
According to the official, the ruling elite is faced with a crossroads that it refuses to resolve: to open up spaces that allow for economic growth or to continue exercising a hegemonic power that has led to structural stagnation.
"They want to control everything; they don't want the people of Cuba to control anything," he emphasized.
In his opinion, even when they have been presented with opportunities to implement changes, "they do not seem capable of understanding or accepting them in any way."
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