Hours after the Trump administration allowed a Russian ship filled with oil to head toward Cuba, a South Florida congressman said the road ahead for the island nation is clear. U.S. Rep. Mario Diaz Balart (R-FL-26) reacted to the administration’s turnaround on Cuba on Monday. “No, there is no reversal. The administration has applied maximum pressure on the regime,” he said. His comments came after the Trump administration bypassed its own oil blockade of the island nation, following months of island-wide blackouts. Despite the reversal, Diaz-Balart said the fight against Cuba’s dictatorship continues. “The administration has been very clear: ‘How do you stop a humanitarian crisis while increasing pressure?’ That’s what the administration has been doing and will continue to do,” he said. President Donald Trump, on Sunday aboard Air Force One, said he allowed the Russian boat to enter Cuban waters because the island nation needs it. “We have a tanker out there, we don’t mind — having someone get a boatload cause they need it, they have to survive, it wouldn’t bother me,” he said. Since the U.S. captured then-Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro earlier this year, it has placed pressure on the new interim government not to send oil to Cuba. Weeks later, Trump threatened to impose tariffs on any country that provides oil to Cuba, including allies like Mexico. But after months of strong talk, it appeared Trump eased his rhetoric with this latest oil-filled boat. “I told them if a country wants to send some oil to Cuba right now, I have no problem with it,” the president said. Due to the oil blockade and decades of economic mismanagement, the Cuban economy and dictatorship are at their weakest point, resulting in massive struggles for its everyday citizens. The electrical grid is on life support, hospitals have little to no resources, and life is harder than ever. In a recent interview with CNN, Fidel Castro’s grandson, Sandro, a social media influencer, said the economic hardships also affect him. “We have to fight as we say in Cuba. It’s tough, so tough. [Even for a Castro], it’s hard because you suffer through thousands of problems. In one day, there might be electricity, there might not be water. Goods don’t arrive. It’s so hard, really hard,” said Castro. Additionally, since Trump escalated his rhetoric against the island nation, the Cuban government has ramped up its own military efforts. Back in South Florida, Cuban-Americans in Little Havana have mixed emotions about recent actions by the Trump administration. “Cuba obviously has Russia as an ally, and how they are looking at it, they’ll support them in the short run, but again in the long run, I don’t think it’ll serve the Cuban people, and I just don’t think it’s a good thing,” said area resident Rene Rodon. “You have to give and take in a negotiation. You have to be open-minded. I trust in what they’re doing. They’re finding a way to get this thing resolved, to get the Castro government to leave, to get [Diaz-]Canel to leave, to get democracy back into Cuba. I trust in what they’re doing,” said area resident Rick Amaro. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is of Cuban heritage, said the Cuban regime needs to change. “You need to change the people in charge. You need to change the system that runs the country, and you need to change the economic model it follows. That’s the only way forward if Cuba wants a better future,” he said. The White House says, even though oil is being allowed into Cuba this one time, its overall policy against the island nation has not changed. “These decisions are being made on a case-by-case basis. As the administration has said, Cuba’s non-functional economy cannot be fixed unless they undergo dramatic political and leadership change. But there has been no formal change with respect to sanction policy,” said White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. Diaz-Balart said he knows change is coming to the island nation despite this exception. “I’m pretty confident the days are numbered for that regime,” he said. According to the White House, negotiations with the island leaders continue. ...read more read less