Khaberni - American President Donald Trump announced Friday he is considering the possibility of imposing control over Cuba "in a friendly manner," without providing details on how this would be executed, as Washington continues its pressure on the Cuban regime to make concessions.
Trump told reporters as he was leaving the White House heading to Texas that "the Cuban government is negotiating with us and they are in a big predicament. They have no money. They don't have anything... and perhaps we will seize Cuba in a friendly way."
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Wednesday that Cuba must undergo "radical change," shortly after Washington—in assertions it claimed were humanitarian—eased its restrictions on oil exports to the island nation facing a severe economic crisis.
Trump accuses Cuba of posing a threat to U.S. national security, demanding that it agree with Washington before it's too late, although he had previously ruled out overthrowing the Cuban regime as he did with Venezuela when its president Nicolas Maduro was arrested on January 3rd, 2026.
Cuba faces a crippling energy crisis and a severe fuel shortage, with frequent power outages, as a result of Trump tightening the oil embargo since last January, and the threat from other countries supplying Cuba with oil to increase customs duties on it.
Easing Restrictions
In a new development last Wednesday, the United States announced it would, for humanitarian reasons, ease the restrictions imposed on Venezuelan oil exports to Cuba.
The U.S. Treasury Department reported it is prepared to grant licenses to private companies willing to sell oil sourced from Venezuela to Cuba, provided that these operations support the Cuban people and do not benefit the Cuban regime.
Following the announcement about easing the restrictions on oil supply to Cuba, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared on Wednesday that Cuba must undergo "radical change."
This was announced during a press conference on the sidelines of talks held with Caribbean regional leaders regarding security in the area and developments in the Venezuela and Cuba cases, which are not part of the Caribbean group.
While the embargo on Cuba continues in terms of energy imports, the United Nations has sounded the alarm over the worsening humanitarian crisis due to the impact on several vital sectors such as health, transport, and trade.
