United States President Donald Trump has said the U.S. could seek a “friendly takeover” of Cuba, as it continues to push for regime change in the country.
Trump claimed that Secretary of State Marco Rubio had been in high-level talks with Cuban officials, though Cuba has denied this. The U.S. reportedly hopes to oust Cuba’s government before the end of the year.
“The Cuban government is talking with us, and they're in a big deal of trouble," said Trump.
“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.”
The U.S. has imposed an oil blockade on Cuba in recent months, which has worsened since the U.S. seized Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Venezuela is Cuba’s largest oil supplier.
U.S. companies will be permitted to sell oil to private businesses in Cuba as the country's supplies rapidly deplete, the U.S. said over the weekend.
The Trump administration plans to topple Cuba’s government by the end of 2026, the Wall Street Journal reported last month, and has been looking for government insiders in Havana who would cooperate.
Cuba also said on Wednesday that its forces had killed four armed Cuban-American expatriates on a Florida-registered boat that had entered the island’s waters and opened fire on Cuban soldiers. The expatriates were seeking regime change in Cuba, per the Associated Press.
While Cuba has denied that it has held high-level talks with the U.S., Rubio reportedly met with the grandson of former Cuban leader Raul Castro on the sidelines of Caribbean regional conference CARICOM last week.
Trump’s comments came hours before the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran, meanwhile, saying it aimed for regime change in the country. The countries’ militaries killed Iran Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in the attack, but Iran’s government has said it will finalise a successor within the next two days.
