Alina Fernández, the daughter of Fidel Castro, said in a recent interview that she hopes the U.S. can bring down Cuba’s regime.
Fernández's perspective is significant because she is a direct descendant of the revolutionary leader who established the government she now seeks to see dismantled. Her support for aggressive U.S. policy highlights a deep familial and political rift over the island's governance.
Speaking with ABC News Australia in May 2026, Fernández discussed the impact of current U.S. foreign policy. She said the Trump administration has stopped oil shipments to Cuba, a move that has occurred since the start of 2026 [2]. According to Fernández, these sanctions have caused widespread blackouts and shortages affecting 11 million people [1].
Fernández, who fled the regime herself, believes that this economic and resource pressure is a necessary catalyst for political change. She said, "I want a new Cuba, free from the old regime."
Beyond the humanitarian impact of the energy crisis, Fernández linked the current geopolitical climate to legal accountability. She said the current situation is "the end of impunity for Cuba's leadership," referring to the pressure being exerted by Washington [3].
Throughout the interview, she emphasized that the combination of internal instability and external pressure could finally break the hold of the leadership she once knew from within. She said that the current strategy of isolating the regime through sanctions will ultimately lead to a transition of power.
“"This is the end of impunity for Cuba's leadership."”
The alignment of a member of the Castro family with stringent U.S. sanctions suggests a strategic bet that economic desperation will lead to political collapse. By highlighting the suffering of 11 million citizens, Fernández frames the humanitarian crisis not as a reason to lift sanctions, but as the primary mechanism for forcing a regime change in Cuba.
