Trump suggests "friendly takeover" of Cuba as US–Havana tensions escalate

US President Donald Trump has suggested the United States could carry out a “friendly takeover” of Cuba, marking a sharp escalation in rhetoric as relations between Washington and Havana deteriorate further.

Speaking on February 27 as he departed the White House for a campaign event in Texas, Trump said: “The Cuban government is talking with us. They’re in a big deal of trouble," Caliber.Az reports via foreign media. 

“They have no money, they have no anything right now. But they’re talking with us and maybe we’ll have a friendly takeover of Cuba," Trump said. 

He added that Secretary of State Marco Rubio was engaged in discussions with Cuban leaders “at a very high level.”

Although Trump provided no details, it has been widely reported that US officials met with Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, the grandson of 94-year-old former Cuban leader Raúl Castro, on the sidelines of the Caribbean leaders’ summit, Caricom, as part of negotiations over potentially opening up the island.

The remarks come at a time when US–Cuba relations have sunk to one of their lowest points in an often bitter 67-year history. Washington has intensified pressure on Havana following what it described as the successful abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in January.

Ahead of the operation in Caracas, US officials reportedly secured cooperation from Maduro’s deputy, Delcy Rodríguez, now Venezuela’s acting president, who has pledged to open the country’s significant oil reserves to foreign companies.

Trump said: “I’ve been hearing about Cuba since I was a little boy, but they’re in big trouble.”

His comments marked a notable departure from previous public messaging. Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel has previously stated that while Havana is willing to engage in dialogue, discussions must not involve Cuba’s internal affairs and must come “from a position of equals, with respect for our sovereignty, our independence, and our self-determination”.

The latest tensions follow reports that a group of heavily armed exiles from Florida attempted to land a speedboat carrying weapons on Cuba’s north coast earlier this week. The incident led to a gunfight at sea that left four people dead and seven injured.

By Sabina Mammadli