The United States Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, stated this Friday that the government system in Cuba needs to change and dismissed any possibility of a mere economic agreement.
The statements were made during an exchange with journalists, in which he referred to the regime as incompetent.
"Your economy needs to change, and it cannot change unless your system of government changes. Who is going to invest billions of dollars in a communist country run by incompetent communists, which is even worse than being communist? Therefore, your system of government must change," he stated.
The Secretary of State strongly rejected reports suggesting that the Trump administration might be satisfied with a purely economic understanding, without demanding a regime change.
Rubio also struck out against the media that have published reports about the negotiations with Cuba based on anonymous sources.
“Any report about Cuba that does not come from me or the president is a lie, because we are the only ones working on this,” he stated.
He also warned the journalists that their sources "know nothing" and "are not in the loop," adding, "I promise you they do not know what is happening."
The Secretary of State linked economic freedom with political freedom, insisting that both "go hand in hand" and expressing confusion about why there is misunderstanding on the matter.
"Economic change is important. Granting people economic and political freedom is important. But they go hand in hand, they are intertwined," he emphasized.
The climate of negotiations with the regime
These statements are part of a negotiation process confirmed by both parties in mid-March.
President Donald Trump indicated on March 16 that Cuba is talking to Marco Rubio and we will do something very soon.
The very Díaz-Canel admitted the existence of dialogues with Washington, although the regime insists that his position is "non-negotiable."
One day later, Rubio had already refuted claims from the New York Times suggesting that the United States would accept a transition that would leave the Castro family's power intact.
From the Oval Office, he previously assured that the reforms implemented on the island are not enough to resolve the deep economic crisis.
Rubio stated that the main problem in Cuba is structural and lies within a system that, in his view, has proven to be unviable for decades.
"The bottom line is that their economy does not work. It is a non-functional economy," he pointed out, while recalling that the Cuban model has historically depended on external subsidies, first from the Soviet Union and later from Venezuela.
The head of U.S. diplomacy warned that the current situation is critical, as that support has vanished, leaving the regime in a position of high economic fragility.
No changes, says the regime
Amidst the pressures, Miguel Díaz-Canel ruled out any transformation of the Cuban political system and stated that his government is progressing in an update of the economic model with its own elements.
In an exclusive interview with the Mexican newspaper La Jornada, in Havana, the leader stated that the ongoing reforms do not entail a political opening akin to that of other socialist countries.
The new economic strategy, as he stated, combines "centralized planning and market mechanisms to prevent speculation," as well as enhanced coordination between the state sector and the non-state sector.
The goal is to achieve "sustainable development, with social justice, inclusivity, and equity," he said.
He also mentioned the possibility of increasing the participation of Cubans living abroad in the national economy, under strict regulations. “Their investment in our country is carried out in accordance with our legal framework,” he specified.
The leader attributed the serious economic situation that Cuba is facing to the tightening of U.S. sanctions, particularly since 2019.
He assured that the country is facing an "energy blockade" that has restricted the arrival of fuel and worsened the problems in electricity generation.
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