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The Cuban activist Rosa María Payá supported the statements made by Secretary of State Marco Rubio regarding Cuba on Wednesday, asserting that there cannot be free enterprise without free people and that "the Cuban people are fighting to be free."
Payá quoted on his X account a message from the Department of State that included Rubio's words from an interview with Fox News: "Cuba needs two things: economic reforms and political reforms. You can't fix its economy without changing its system of government."
Rubio's statements were made on Tuesday during the Sean Hannity program, where the Secretary of State also described the Cuban leaders as incompetent and unable to solve these problems.
Rubio also anticipated that the Trump administration is preparing upcoming changes in its policy towards the island: "They are in serious trouble. There's no doubt about it. And you know, we will have more news on this soon. We are also working on it."
Payá's support reinforces a position that the activist has maintained since her time in the opposition: political freedom and economic freedom are inseparable, and no economic reform can thrive under a dictatorship.
Payá is the daughter of the dissident Oswaldo Payá, founder of the Movimiento Cristiano Liberación, who died in 2012 under circumstances she attributes to the Cuban regime.
Currently, he leads Cuba Decide and the so-called Liberation Agreement, signed alongside Orlando Gutiérrez-Boronat in March 2026, which outlines three phases for a democratic transition: liberation, stabilization, and democratization.
The Cuban-American congressman Carlos Giménez also joined Rubio's statements on Wednesday, calling for the Cuban regime to be obliterated and relegated to the dustbin of history.
The coincidences among Rubio, Payá, and Giménez occur at a time of maximum pressure on Havana.
From January 2026, the capture of Nicolás Maduro by U.S. forces halted the Venezuelan supply of between 26,000 and 35,000 barrels per day of oil to Cuba, triggering an energy crisis with blackouts lasting up to 64 hours a day.
The Cuban economy is projected to contract by 7.2% in 2026 according to the Economist Intelligence Unit, with a cumulative decline of 23% since 2019.
Rubio has consistently rejected the regime's reforms, describing them as insufficient and cosmetic, and has insisted that political change is a necessary condition for any real economic improvement on the island.
Senator Ted Cruz stated last Monday that there is the highest historical likelihood of a change in government in Cuba within the next six months.
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