Ramón Saúl Sánchez, leader of the Movimiento Democracia, reiterated this Thursday in an interview about the transition in Cuba that the alleged plans of the Trump administration to negotiate an economic agreement with the Cuban regime represent an "offense and a humiliation for the Cuban people," and pointed out the contradiction that Washington has imposed an embargo for decades that has affected the citizens of the island, only to now offer a lifeline to the dictatorship at its moment of greatest weakness.
Sánchez ignited the debate last Tuesday with a video on Facebook in which he described potential agreements as a "fraud against the struggle of the exile." Sánchez explodes against the alleged plans of Trump and Rubio warning that "economically stabilizing the regime without real political changes could become a lifeline for a dictatorship that is at the end of the rope."
The core of his criticism targets an unacceptable paradox: for more than six decades, the U.S. embargo on Cuba has restricted the Cuban economy, directly affecting the daily lives of citizens, and now, as the regime faces its worst energy crisis—with blackouts of up to 22 hours in Havana and generation deficits exceeding 1,900 MW—Washington would be willing to negotiate with that same leadership without demanding real political changes.
The controversy erupted following the revelation by the newspaper USA Today of a plan dubbed "Cubastroika": secret negotiations led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio with Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, the grandson of Raúl Castro known as "El Cangrejo," bypassing Díaz-Canel. The agreement includes the opening of ports, energy, and tourism, relaxation of travel restrictions, a partial lifting of sanctions, and a potential negotiated exit for Miguel Díaz-Canel, while the Castro family would retain influence on the island.
Last Friday, at the Summit of the Americas held in Miami, President Donald Trump publicly confirmed the negotiations: "Cuba is eager to reach an agreement," he said, adding, "They are negotiating with Marco [Rubio] and me." The Cuban regime denies the existence of formal negotiations and labels them as a "media campaign."
Sánchez explicitly rejects military intervention from the United States but demands genuine support for the Cuban people in a democratic transition led by Cubans. In his video on Tuesday, he directed a pointed reproach at the Secretary of State: "Marco Rubio, why haven’t you come here to meet with the leaders of the Cuban exile community, even behind closed doors, so that you can listen?"
The opposition figure also expressed his fear that Cuba could become "occupied by American corporations" under the current leaders. The economic reforms and political change in Cuba are at the heart of the debate among analysts and leaders of the exile community, who warn that an agreement without democratic guarantees could perpetuate the dictatorship.
The energy crisis that has triggered these diplomatic movements worsened after the capture of Nicolás Maduro on January 3, which cut the supply of between 26,000 and 35,000 daily barrels of Venezuelan oil to Cuba. On January 29, Trump signed Executive Order 14380 declaring a national emergency to pressure oil suppliers, and on February 25, he authorized the direct sale of American petroleum products to private Cuban companies, in a first gesture of selective openness that Sánchez interprets as oxygen for the regime, not help for the people.
According to recent information, the U.S. is holding secret conversations with Raúl Castro's inner circle, which has caused deep confusion among Cuban exile leaders, who demand to be included in any negotiation process that impacts the future of the island.
For their part, exile leaders reject the possible US-Cuba deal as a humiliation to the Cuban people. "I don't want to die without seeing my homeland free, but I also don't want it occupied by American corporations," declared Sánchez, who threatened to resort to a hunger strike if necessary: "If I have to spend my last days in a hunger strike, I will do it."
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