U.S. President Says U.S. Is Negotiating With Cuban Leadership

Reuters

U.S. President Donald Trump.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday that Washington is in talks with Cuba’s leadership to strike a deal.

The comments come amid escalating pressure from Washington on Havana since early January, after the ouster of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro — a close ally of Cuba and once its main source of oil. The U.S. administration has threatened tariffs on countries that supply oil to Cuba in an effort to heighten economic stress on the island.

"Cuba is a failing nation. It has been for a long time, but now it doesn't have Venezuela to prop it up," President Trump told reporters at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.

"So we're talking to the people from Cuba, the highest people in Cuba, to see what happens. I think we're going to make a deal with Cuba," he added, giving no indication what such a deal would look like.

Cuba’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not confirm U.S. President Donald Trump’s remarks about negotiations with Havana in a statement published on Sunday, but reiterated its rejection of claims that the island poses a threat to U.S. national security.

The ministry stressed that Cuba does not “host any foreign military or intelligence bases,” while reaffirming its willingness to “maintain a respectful and reciprocal dialogue” with the United States.

The statement came days after President Trump signed an executive order on Thursday threatening to impose additional tariffs on countries that supply oil to Cuba, a move that has heightened economic pressure on the island.

On Friday, the impact was already being felt, with Cubans forming long queues at petrol stations across Havana amid growing concerns over fuel shortages.

Meanwhile, U.S. Chief of Mission in Cuba, Mike Hammer, said that during a visit to Trinidad province in central Cuba over the weekend, he encountered residents who “shouted some insults” at him, reflecting rising public tensions following Washington’s latest measures.

"I think they belong to a certain party, but I know they do not represent the Cuban people, the ordinary Cubans," Hammer said in a video posted to X, in reference to the Cuban Communist Party.

Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department's Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs said in a statement on X: "The illegitimate Cuban regime must immediately stop its repressive acts of sending individuals to interfere with the diplomatic work of CDA Hammer and members of the @USembcuba team."

"Our diplomats will continue to meet with the Cuban people despite the regime's failed intimidation," the agency added.

President Trump and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the Miami-born son of Cuban exiles, have made no secret of their desire to pursue regime change in Havana. However, the U.S. President issued a stark warning to Cuba’s leadership, urging Havana to “make a deal soon” or face unspecified consequences from Washington.

"NO MORE OIL OR MONEY FOR CUBA: ZERO!" President Trump had stated earlier, claiming Cuba was "ready to fall."

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Sunday her administration was planning to send humanitarian aid to Cuba, including "food and other products," while working on a diplomatic solution to continue sending oil to the island despite Trump's threatened tariffs.

"We never discussed with President Trump the issue of oil with Cuba," Sheinbaum added, after the two leaders had spoken by phone Thursday.

Source: AFP



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