The United States Ambassador to the United Nations, Mike Waltz, demanded on Thursday that the Cuban regime implement four immediate reforms in a strong message posted on his X account: open the economy, free political prisoners, stop treating citizens as a threat, and cease blaming Washington for the misery caused by their own policies in Havana.
"The Cuban regime must implement immediate economic and political reforms. We are asking for very simple things: to open up the economy, release political prisoners, stop treating ordinary citizens as a threat, and cease blaming the United States for the misery caused by Havana and its failed policies," Waltz stated in a video shared from his official account.
The statements come one day before the deadline set by Washington—this Friday, June 5—requiring foreign companies and financial institutions to sever their ties with GAESA, the military-economic conglomerate that controls between 40% and 70% of the formal Cuban economy, under threat of secondary sanctions.
The deadline stems from Executive Order 14404, signed by President Trump on May 1, 2026, which designated GAESA as a sanctions target. Several foreign companies have already left Cuba in light of the pressure, including Spanish airlines, shipping companies, and hotel chains.
Waltz's message is part of a maximum pressure strategy that the Trump administration has maintained throughout 2026, with over 240 sanctions imposed against Cuba since January. Secretary of State Marco Rubio once again criticized GAESA before the Senate last Tuesday, while the Central Bank of Cuba announced the same day the suspension of operations with Visa and Mastercard, a direct consequence of the severance of banking relations with Fincimex, GAESA's financial arm.
Rubio has been the most active voice in this policy. In May, he stated that Cuba needs "systemic and serious reforms" and that he does not see it as possible to reform it with the current leaders in power. The Trump administration has expressed its frustration over the lack of concrete changes from the regime.
The demand to release political prisoners takes on special significance in light of the most recent data. Prisoners Defenders documented 1,260 political and conscience prisoners in Cuba by the end of April 2026, a historic record, of which 785 were in prison and 475 under house arrest or other restrictive measures.
The regime announced a pardon for 2,010 inmates on April 2, 2026, but the organization audited that none were politically relevant prisoners. The 359 individuals incarcerated for the protests on July 11, 2021, are still serving sentences of up to 22 years.
The economic crisis that the Cuban people are experiencing is equally severe. The GDP shrank by 11% over five years, tourism dropped from 4.7 million visitors in 2018 to 1.8 million in 2025, and blackouts last up to 25 hours a day in some regions, affecting more than 55% of the country.
Díaz-Canel has responded to the sanctions by calling them "illegal and abusive" and stating that they "strengthen" the government's determination, while insisting that he is "open to dialogue" but only "on equal terms" and without accepting external pressures on his political or economic system.
Rubio summarized Washington's position with a phrase that defines the stalemate: "You can't fix their economy if you don't change their system of government."
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