Madrid/More than a hundred Cubans gathered this Wednesday in Madrid to meet with Mike Hammerchargé d’affaires of the United States Embassy in Cuba, in a meeting focused on the democratic future of the Island. Expectations were high: activists, journalists and members of civil society in exile came with the intention of presenting concrete proposals and listening to Washington’s position.
The purpose of the event was to demonstrate that the Cuban diaspora does not want to limit itself to observing events from a distance, but rather to actively influence the design of a democratic Cuba and to be recognized as a legitimate political actor in any transition process.
Hammer opened the dialogue by thanking the organizers and remembering that he tries to travel every year in February, coinciding with the birthday of his Spanish mother, who lives in Madrid. “A year ago we did something similar, but with just a few,” he said. “Much has happened in this year of mission in Cuba.”
The meeting, which brought together Cubans from different European countries, revolved around the proposals that the exile has been developing for a democratic transition in Cuba.
The meeting, which brought together Cubans from different European countries, revolved around the proposals that the exile has been developing for a democratic transition in Cuba. Some – a minority – called for a “humanitarian military intervention”, while others dedicated their interventions to the Cuba they dream of from culture, economy and politics. The importance of the international community listening directly, and without intermediaries, to the aspirations and demands of the Cuban people was also insisted on.
Hammer explained that, just as he travels to provinces on the Island to meet with citizens, his goal in Madrid was to listen. “The future of Cuba is for Cubans to decide in freedom, with the opportunity to live in tranquility and prosper economically,” he stated.
In one of the most emphatic moments, Hammer stated: “I have been a diplomat for 37 years and I have not seen an approach like this towards Latin America and, especially, towards Cuba. This is a historic moment in which the change is not that it can be made; it is going to be made.” Pointing directly to 2026 as the year of that change.
“This is a historic moment in which change is not something that can be made; it is going to be made.” Pointing directly to 2026 as the year of that change.
He insisted that the Trump Administration’s policy has placed Latin America and the Caribbean as a strategic priority. “Cuba represents a very important part… it is 90 miles from our coast and it is an issue of national security.” Citing President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, he reiterated that the United States “supports and wants to realize the aspirations of the Cuban people for economic and political opening.”
The diplomat defined himself as a channel to amplify voices that have been silenced for decades: “My role in Cuba is to inform the world what the Cuban people who have not had a voice are feeling.” Furthermore, he denounced that on the Island “there is daily and absolute repression; there is no freedom of expression, there is no freedom of religion, there is no freedom of the press,” and he highlighted the presence of journalists in the room as an example of what defines a democracy.
Hammer assured that the United States will continue to demand the release of all political prisoners and stressed that this situation must be corrected “immediately.”
Hammer assured that the United States will continue to demand the release of all political prisoners and stressed that this situation must be corrected “immediately.”
The diplomat insisted that Washington does not intend to design Cuba’s future. “We are not here to tell you how to do things. You are going to determine what the eventual future of a free Cuba will be.”
In relation to the humanitarian crisis, he recalled that the Secretary of State asked him directly about the situation of the Cuban people and expressed that “he does not want to see the Cuban people suffer.” For this reason, he explained that the United States has allocated nine million dollars in assistance to the east of the Island after the passage of Hurricane Melissa and channeled through Cáritas and not the Cuban Government. “As long as we can, we will continue sending help.”
/ Manuel Alejandro Yong/Courtesy
