The U.S. government has given the Cuban regime two weeks to release a group of high-profile political prisoners as an initial gesture within a broader series of demands that include economic and political reforms on the island, a USA Today report said.

The demand, as revealed on Sunday by the aforementioned newspaper, was raised during a secret meeting held on April 10 on the island, in a context that once again highlights the international pressure on Havana in the last three months.

Among the names being considered for possible release are the artists Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara and Maykel Osorbo, both linked to the San Isidro Movement (MSI) and sentenced in 2022 to five and nine years in prison.

A State Department spokesperson reiterated that the U.S. administration remains committed to the release of all political prisoners in Cuba.

The presence of a high-level delegation on the island—the first time a U.S. government plane has landed in Cuba since 2016—further underscores the strategic importance of the moment and Washington’s intention to condition any progress in bilateral relations on concrete changes by the regime.

During the meeting, reported by AXIOS, a separate meeting was also held with the grandson of former Cuban President Raúl Castro.

According to the sources, officials informed the Cuban government that the island’s economy is in freefall and that they had a limited timeframe to implement reforms.

At the meeting, the United States proposed bringing Starlink high-speed internet to Cuba and, in addition to profound reforms, also pressed for compensation for Americans and American companies whose properties were confiscated, as well as the lifting of restrictions on political freedoms.

Over the weekend, US President Donald Trump declared that very soon the “great force” of the US military would create “a new dawn for Cuba.”