Peter Lamelas, the Cuban-American ambassador of the United States in Argentina, reiterated this Saturday his belief that Cuba could experience a political change "before the end of the year," during an exclusive interview granted to the TN channel from the Bosch Palace, the location of the U.S. embassy in Buenos Aires.
When asked about specific deadlines, the diplomat responded without hesitation: "If I'm going to bet, it will be before the end of the year."
This is not the first time Lamelas has made that bet out loud. Last June, he had already declared: "God willing, may the Cuban people be free."
The diplomat's statements add to a chorus of Cuban-American officials from the Trump administration who, throughout 2026, have publicly expressed their anticipation of an imminent change on the island.
Mike Hammer, head of the U.S. diplomatic mission in Havana, stated in February that "there will be a change in 2026" and that the situation "is not sustainable." Weeks later, in Madrid, he was more emphatic: "The change is not something that can happen; it will happen." On July 4, he added: "May Cuba be free this year 2026. Long live a Free Cuba!"
The Cuban-American Bernie Navarro, the U.S. ambassador to Peru, joined in May with a similar statement: "With Donald Trump, the change in Cuba will definitely happen."
Lamelas, who describes himself as "Cuban by birth, American by the grace of God," was born in Cuba and arrived in Florida at the age of four on a Red Cross ship. He was appointed by Donald Trump in December 2024 and arrived in Buenos Aires in November 2025, where he established a close relationship with President Javier Milei and his cabinet.
His appointment is part of a deliberate strategy by the Trump administration: to place Cuban Americans in key positions for foreign policy towards Latin America, alongside Marco Rubio as Secretary of State and Mauricio Claver-Carone in charge of Latin American affairs.
Milei himself has made similar predictions. At the CPAC in Budapest in March, he stated that Cuba would be free "by mid-year" under Trump’s leadership, and in June he predicted that the island would "fall on its own."
In the interview on Saturday, Lamelas also addressed other topics on the bilateral agenda: he reaffirmed Washington's neutrality regarding the Falkland Islands — "We maintain neutrality" — promised to work towards obtaining a visa waiver for Argentina before the end of his term, questioned the use of Chinese technology in strategic sectors of the country, and supported anti-narcotics cooperation between both governments.
It is important to emphasize that none of these statements about Cuba constitutes an official policy announcement from Washington; rather, they are expressions of political expectation from officials who share an ideological vision for the future of the island. The Cuban regime, for its part, has shown no signs of openness or negotiation with the Trump administration, which continues to list Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism and maintains a policy of maximum pressure on Havana.
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