U.S. Envoy To Cuba Suggests a Trump-Friendly Successor To Havana Regime Has Been Identified

The head of the U.S. diplomatic mission in Cuba said Washington is in talks with senior figures inside the Cuban government and suggested a Trump-friendly successor comparable to Venezuela's interim president has been identified, pointing to what he described as the start of a political transition on the island.

In an interview with Telemundo in Miami, Mike Hammer said there are ongoing contacts with high-level officials in Havana, adding that not all members of the ruling structure are aware of them. "Obviously there are conversations with some very high within the regime. Others will not be aware," he said. Hammer added that Cuba has "a Delcy Rodríguez," referring to Venezuela's interim president, but declined to give a name.

Hammer's remarks align with statements by president Trump, who has said in recent weeks that dialogue with Havana is underway and that developments are expected.

Cuban officials have denied any negotiations beyond routine migration and counternarcotics coordination. Vice Foreign Minister Carlos Fernández de Cossío told EFE earlier this month that claims of internal divisions or secret talks are "a mistaken interpretation" and said any dialogue must occur "with mutual respect."

In earlier comments to Telemundo 51 in Miami, Hammer said discussions with Havana are being handled discreetly under White House and State Department supervision. He declined to confirm reports that Alejandro Castro Espín, son of Raúl Castro, is acting as an intermediary. He also criticized restrictions on civil liberties and said more than 1,000 political prisoners should be released, including those detained after the July 2021 protests.

In his most recent interview, Hammer said Washington's priority is a peaceful outcome but warned that alternatives exist if talks stall. "If in weeks there is no progress, there will be a plan B," he said, adding that Cuba's energy system collapse and economic deterioration show the current model is unsustainable. "What ordinary Cubans tell me is that the revolution has failed."

Russia has rejected suggestions that a transition could unfold in Havana through internal defections like those Moscow says enabled Nicolás Maduro's capture. "In Venezuela, without doubt, there was a betrayal," said U.N. Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya in late January, but "that trick will not work in Cuba."