The former political prisoner and co-founder of the Cuban Committee for Human Rights, Ariel Hidalgo, categorically dismissed the idea that Washington will resolve the Cuban crisis and called on the people of the island to take the lead in their own change, in statements gathered during an interview with Tania Costa for CiberCuba.
"I do not see any interest in the situation of Cubans, neither from the Cuban government nor from the American administration. Because of that, I do not expect anything from either of them. Neither Biden nor Trump will solve Cuba," stated the dissident, who added emphatically: "We are the ones who have to resolve this problem."
Hidalgo was clear in dismissing any military action by the U.S. similar to the capture of Nicolás Maduro. "I don't think there will even be a surgical intervention like the one that was done with Maduro. I don't believe anything like that will happen. These are two completely different cases."
The dissident acknowledged that the arrest of Maduro on January 3, 2026, sparked a wave of hope among the Cubans on the island. "Since January 4, after they removed Maduro from Venezuela, there has been a sense of hope among the Cubans on the island. In fact, everyone who messages you from the island asks when the Americans are coming," he recounted.
This expectation was also fueled by statements from the head of mission of the U.S. Embassy in Havana, Mike Hammer, who announced in Europe that 2026 would be a historic year for Cuba. Tania Costa directly quoted him: "Mike Hammer said in an interview here in Europe that this was going to be a historic year for Cuba, the year of change."
However, the dissident does not share that optimism about an external and immediate solution. When the interviewer asked him, "And do we have time to organize civil society while there is a genocide happening?", Hidalgo replied candidly: "No, unfortunately that's not going to be possible... we are not going to reach a quick solution. Even if there is a change in Cuban leadership."
This skepticism is situated within a context of confirmed negotiations between Washington and Havana. Prime Minister Manuel Marrero acknowledged in July that a negotiating team is working with the U.S. with the endorsement of Raúl Castro and Díaz-Canel, while Trump conditioned any agreement on the removal of Díaz-Canel from power.
Despite the obstacles, Hidalgo insisted that the Cuban people must move forward. "The government has tried to find ways to prevent contact between the various centers of protest. Nevertheless, we must go ahead, keep moving forward," he stated.
Hidalgo is a historical figure of Cuban dissent. In 1981, he was sentenced to eight years in prison for his manuscript "Cuba, the Marxist State and the New Class", in which he denounced the formation of a new privileged bureaucratic caste within the communist system; the sentence ordered the destruction of his works "by fire." He was released in 1988 following an international campaign and emigrated to the United States.
His statements come as he promotes a petition signed by 300 Cubans from 19 countries —with Cuba being the second country with the most signatures after the U.S.— sent to the UN, Amnesty International, and Human Rights Watch, warning about a silent genocide with estimates of at least one thousand deaths due to malnutrition, lack of medication, epidemics, and repression.
"The country where the most signatures were collected was Cuba. This is a sign that fear is already dissipating in Cuba," said Hidalgo, keeping open the only avenue where he places his trust: the mobilization of the Cuban people themselves.
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