U.S. Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL) slammed the European Union and its head foreign affairs official, Kaja Kallas on social media Thursday for its embracing of the Communist Cuban regime.
“This week, the EU resumed its dialogue with the Cuban regime—while students protest across the island, blackouts worsen, and hunger deepens. The Cuban people can’t endure another day of dictatorship,” said Salazar.
“To the EU: The fall of the Cuban regime is inevitable. When that day comes, how will history remember you—on the side of freedom, or with the oppressors?”
“Now is the time to choose.”
The Cuban regime and the European Union will meet next Wednesday in Brussels, Belgium to organize a new round of trade talks.
This upcoming meeting will serve to close the fourth round of political dialogue between the two sides and open the fifth, following the Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement (PDCA), a 2016 document designed to promote trade and diplomatic relations, as well as human rights.
However, some EU member states are approaching the meeting with reservations due to the recent imprisonment of long-time Cuban opposition figures José Daniel Ferrer and Félix Navarro.
In May 2025, speaking before the European Parliament in a debate on Cuba, Kallas defended the PDCA against those advocating for its suspension, citing a clause that allows for its suspension if human rights violations are found on the island.
Kallas acknowledged that the agreement "has not contributed" to the Union as much as expected, but considered it currently the "EU's best asset" to promote its values and interests, as well as to support "reforms" on the island.
“We all believe that the Cuban people should be able to elect their government through free and democratic elections. The question today is how we engage with Cuba. We must do so based on our values and our interests.” stated Kallas in an article by Swissinfo.
