Donald Trump suggested the possibility of a “friendly takeover of Cuba.” The White House wants to exploit the energy crisis on the communist-ruled island to exert greater influence.
“They're in big trouble, and we could do something good, I think, very positive, for the people who have been expelled, or worse, from Cuba, who live here,” Trump told reporters on Friday as he left the White House for Texas.
“You know, we have people here who want to go back to Cuba.” “It could end with a friendly takeover of Cuba,” he added.
Trump's comments are among his most comprehensive so far on his plans for Cuba, which is under intense pressure from the US.
The Trump administration has authorized fuel shipments from U.S. energy companies to private Cuban companies.
The strategy aims to both increase Cuba's dependence on the United States and strengthen the island's private sector, while weakening its communist government.
The Cuban government found itself in a particularly difficult situation after the US attack on Venezuela and the capture of Nicolas Maduro. Since then, the Trump administration has pressured the interim government in Caracas to end its long-standing partnership with Cuba, calling on it to stop oil exports.
Trump said Cuba was a “failing country, to put it mildly,” and Secretary of State Marco Rubio sought to influence the government to promote U.S. interests.
Source: Bloomberg
