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U.S. President Donald Trump said Saturday that the U.S. might reach a deal with Cuba, suggesting it could happen as pressure mounts over the island’s access to oil.
Speaking aboard Air Force One, he said Cuban leaders may soon come forward for talks, following U.S. threats to impose tariffs on countries supplying fuel to the island.
"I think they probably would come to us and want to make a deal so Cuba would be free again," Trump said. "I think we’re going to work a deal with Cuba. I think, you know, we'll be kind."
Trump also said that Venezuela is now entering a new phase of foreign engagement. While India has already moved forward with an initial agreement, it extended a public invitation to China to return as a buyer under the new arrangement.
"China is welcome to come in and would make a great deal on oil. We welcome China," he said.
He also noted that Venezuela's interim leadership agreed Friday to an energy cooperation deal with India. "India is coming in, and they're going to be buying Venezuelan oil as opposed to buying it from Iran," Trump explained.
Earlier this month, Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro was captured by U.S. forces on Jan. 3. The new interim government, led by Delcy Rodriguez, has since reformed national laws to allow private and foreign investment in the country’s oil industry.
Trump emphasized that the United States will play a direct role in Venezuela’s energy revival. Under the emerging arrangement, Washington and Caracas are expected to share profits from oil production and exports.
"We're going to be selling a lot of oil, and we'll take some, and they'll take a lot, and they're going to do very well," Trump said. "They're going to make more money than they've ever made, and it's going to be beneficial to us."
He added that current relations with Venezuela’s leadership are cooperative: "We're getting along very well with the leadership of Venezuela. They're doing a really good job."
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