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United States President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Cuba is “asking for help” from the United States, adding: “We are going to talk.”
“No Republican has ever spoken to me about Cuba, which is a failed country and only heading in one direction – down,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
“Cuba is asking for help, and we are going to talk,” he said.
“In the meantime, I’m off to China,” Trump added, referring to his visit to China this week to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Trump’s rhetoric toward Cuba has intensified in recent weeks, including reposting a message on Truth Social suggesting he would visit a “free Havana” before leaving office.
He has also ordered an oil blockade of the island.
There is growing speculation in Washington that Trump is seeking to increase U.S. pressure on the Cuban government as part of a broader effort to expand American influence in the Caribbean and Latin America.
Earlier this month, Trump said the United States would be “taking over” the Caribbean island “almost immediately.”
He also suggested following the U.S. military operation that removed Venezuela’s longtime leader Nicolas Maduro that Cuba could be next.
The communist-run island has remained at odds with successive U.S. administrations since the 1960s, while Florida—located around 90 miles away—hosts a large and politically influential Cuban exile community.
Venezuela had long served as an economic and diplomatic lifeline for Cuba, but the fall of Maduro further isolated the island.
As Venezuela was Cuba’s main fuel supplier, disruptions in supply combined with U.S. restrictions have contributed to frequent nationwide power cuts.
On May 1, Trump announced new economic sanctions targeting key sectors of the Cuban economy.
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez described the measures as “collective punishment” and “unilateral coercive measures.”
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