U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday, Feb. 27 that the United States may carry out a “friendly takeover” of Cuba and revealed that Secretary of State Marco Rubio is holding talks with the Cuban Communist authorities.
Speaking to reporters as he left the White House for Texas, Trump said: “The Cuban government is talking to us. They’re in a lot of trouble. They have no money right now, they have nothing right now, but they are talking to us. Maybe we’ll have a friendly takeover of Cuba.”
Trump added that he had heard about the Cuba issue since childhood, and that the situation there is now severe. The United States is very likely to do something positive, which would benefit those who were expelled from Cuba or experienced worse conditions there and now live in the United States.
He also said that some Cuban Americans hope to return to Cuba in the future and are pleased with the current developments.
When another reporter asked about Cuba, Trump said Rubio is handling the matter “at a very high level.” He emphasized that Cuba is currently facing shortages of funds, oil, and food. It is a country in deep difficulty and is seeking U.S. assistance.
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According to The Hill, the United Nations’ top official responsible for Cuba warned Wednesday that daily life for the Cuban people is becoming increasingly fragile as the healthcare system, water services, and food distribution face mounting pressure.
After the United States launched a raid on Jan. 3 and arrested Cuba’s ally, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, Rubio has remained in contact with Raul Guillermo Rodriguez Castro. He is the grandson of former Cuban leader Raul Castro and the grandnephew of the late Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro.
According to the Miami Herald, the 41-year-old Rodriguez Castro met with Rubio on Wednesday during a Caribbean nations conference in Saint Kitts.
Since Maduro’s arrest, the Trump administration has further increased economic pressure on Cuba. On Jan. 29, Trump signed an executive order warning of tariffs on countries that sell oil to Cuba, including Mexico.
However, the U.S. Treasury Department said Wednesday it would allow the sale of Venezuelan oil to Cuba, provided that the transactions benefit Cuba’s private sector. This condition could mean Havana would need to undertake a degree of internal reform of its state-dominated economic system.
In response to the U.S. fuel blockade, the Cuban government has launched emergency measures. It is reported that Cuba currently has only about six to seven weeks of fuel reserves remaining. If supplies are not replenished, the country could face widespread power outages.
By Gao Yun
