On March 7th, during the “Shield of the Americas” summit, President Trump discussed the future of Cuba. He stated that communist Cuba has reached its end and is currently in negotiations with him and his team.
The President emphasized that the historical changes happening in Venezuela will also occur in Cuba.
“With the historic transformation we are achieving in Venezuela, we also anticipate a significant change in Cuba soon,” the President said. He added, “Cuba has reached its end. They have no money, no oil. They have bad ideas, and their regime has been terrible for a long time. They used to receive funds and oil from Venezuela, but now they have nothing coming from Venezuela. They have no oil, they have nothing.”
Trump also mentioned that due to the lack of oil, planes have to stay in Cuba and cannot fly. The President mentioned that he himself is involved in negotiations with Cuba.
“They want to negotiate, they are in negotiations with (Secretary of State) Marco Rubio, myself, and some other people. I think reaching an agreement with Cuba should be very easy,” he said.
“Cuba (communist) is currently in the final moments of its life,” the President emphasized, “but it will usher in a brand new life.”
The President also mentioned that Secretary of State Rubio will finalize the agreement with Cuba. However, he made it clear that the United States will focus on resolving the Iran issue at the moment.
Due to the breakdown of US-Iran nuclear negotiations, the US launched a large-scale military operation called “Epic Fury” against Iran starting on February 28th. President Trump has repeatedly stated that this operation could last for several weeks.
Cuba is facing a severe energy crisis, with frequent power outages. This communist country heavily relies on importing oil from Venezuela. However, in December last year, the US blocked oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela, and in early January, Venezuelan President Maduro was arrested by the US, leading to a disruption in Venezuelan oil supply to Cuba. In order to force Cuba to reach an agreement, the Trump administration imposed an oil blockade on Cuba and warned that Cuba’s trade partners would face tariff penalties. However, the US Treasury Department recently announced plans to allow oil to re-enter Cuba.
For weeks, the Trump administration has been hinting at an upcoming change in the Cuban communist regime. Last week, the President stated that the Cuban regime could soon be “friendly takeover.”
In late January, Secretary of State Rubio publicly expressed support for a regime change in Cuba in Congress.
“We certainly hope to see a regime change in Cuba,” he said. “Undoubtedly, it would greatly benefit the United States if Cuba is no longer ruled by a dictatorship.”
Since the Trump administration ousted Venezuelan dictator Maduro, the fate of Cuba has been closely watched. Currently, the interim President of Venezuela, Delcy Rodriguez, is in power under US supervision, releasing political prisoners and cooperating with the US on oil issues. Trump also stated that the US has officially recognized the Venezuelan government and reached a golden agreement with the country.