Marco Rubio made it clear this Tuesday what Washington's goal for Cuba is: for the island to be "safe, stable, and aligned with the U.S.," a goal he framed as a matter of national security rather than a personal cause, according to statements made on the podcast Katie Miller Pod.
«I remind people that, at the end of the day, I work for the United States of America. I care about Cuba; obviously, I have a personal connection to it, but I do not work for Cuba. I work for the United States, and I believe it is in the national interest of our country to have a Cuba that is safe, stable, and aligned with the U.S. The same sentiment I have about Venezuela,» the official noted.
The words of the Secretary of State came when host Katie Miller directly asked him if Cuba would be "the next" after the capture of Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela, which took place on January 3, 2026.
Rubio responded confidently: "I am sure that Cuba, before this administration ends, will be on an irreversible path toward a very different future."
Rubio warned, however, that the change cannot be instantaneous given that the regime has been entrenched on the island for over 70 years: "You can't have something standing for 70 years, with deep roots, and think that overnight you can tear it all down and put something completely new in place. There is a transition that needs to happen and a process to get there."
As a reference model, the Secretary of State cited the experience of Eastern Europe after the fall of communism: "Poland is probably the best example. They saw that it took them between three and five years to become what we know today." Rubio suggested that Cuba will follow a similar transformation process and that his goal is for that path to be "well underway" before the Trump administration concludes.
Jeanette Rubio, the secretary's wife, also participated in the episode and revealed that in the weeks leading up to Maduro's capture, she sensed that something significant was underway: "He was constantly coming and going. We didn't do anything during the holidays. I knew something was happening, but I didn't know exactly what it was."
The statements from the podcast occur within the framework of a maximum pressure campaign against the Cuban regime that the Trump administration has executed since January 2026, with over 240 sanctions imposed against the island, measures against more than 40 entities —including the military conglomerate GAESA and the state-owned miner Moa Nickel S.A.— and at least 38 individuals.
In June 2026, Rubio declared before the Senate that Cuba needs “new people in charge” for real change to occur, and in July he revealed that Washington offered assistance for reconstruction and a new bilateral relationship, contingent upon specific political and economic reforms.
This Tuesday, Díaz-Canel lashed out at Rubio and accused the United States of interference, marking the regime's latest response to the increasing pressure from Washington.
Rubio has described his strategy as “closing off every mechanism” for evading sanctions from the regime, and he has warned that Washington will not tolerate military operations, intelligence activities, or hostile actions from the island.
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