María Corina Machado, the main leader of the Venezuelan opposition, stated in an interview with the French channel LCI that the Cuban people deserve to live in complete freedom and dignity.
During the appearance, the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize laureate stated that Cubans "would be very happy and very grateful" if the United States removed the leader of the island, just as it did with Nicolás Maduro.
The statements were made during a visit by Machado to Paris, where the day before she had met with President Emmanuel Macron at the Élysée, as part of a European tour that also included Madrid, where she received the Gold Key from the City Council last Thursday.
The journalist Darius Rochebin directly asked him if he expected President Donald Trump to overthrow the Cuban regime as the next step after Venezuela.
Machado responded bluntly: "I believe that the Cuban people deserve to live in complete freedom and dignity. We fight for Venezuela, but also for Cuba, because in reality, the same forces are at play."
The opposition leader explained the structural connection between both regimes: "Once the regime is dismantled in Venezuela, Cuba will not endure. Because it is a regime that has been sustained by the regime that was in power in my country."
When the journalist asked her if she would say "bravo" if Trump removed the Cuban leader as he did with Maduro, Machado was straightforward: "I believe that Cubans would be very happy and very grateful."
These statements are part of a position that Machado has consistently maintained since late 2025. In Oslo, in December of that year, she stated that the fight for the freedom of Venezuela is the fight for the freedom of Cuba and the fight for the freedom of Nicaragua.
Machado, who remained in hiding for more than 16 months within Venezuela before starting his European tour, argues that Cuba has historically depended on Venezuelan oil and financial support under Chavismo, and that without this support, the regime in Havana will be unable to sustain itself.
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