ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE (AP) — President Donald Trump said the United States was beginning to talk with Cuban leaders as his administration puts greater pressure on the communist-run island and cuts off key oil supplies.
He made the comment to reporters on Saturday night as he was flying to Florida. It comes in the wake of his moves in recent weeks to cut off supplies of oil from Venezuela and Mexico, which he suggested Saturday would force Cuba to the negotiating table.
His goals with Cuba remain unclear, but Trump has turned more of his attention toward the island after his administration in early January captured Venezuela’s then-President Nicolás Maduro and has been more aggressive in confronting nations that are adversaries of the U.S.
Trump has predicted that the Cuban government is ready to fall.
The Republican president did not offer any details on Saturday about what level of outreach his administration has had with Cuba recently or when, but simply said, “We’re starting to talk to Cuba.”
His recent moves to cut off its oil supplies have squeezed the island.
This past week, Trump signed an executive order to impose a tariff on any goods from countries that sell or provide oil to Cuba. The move put pressure on Mexico, which Cuba became dependent on for oil after Trump halted oil shipments from Venezuela in the wake of Maduro's ouster.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum warned that it could cause a humanitarian crisis. She said on Friday that she would seek alternatives to continue helping Cuba.
“It doesn’t have to be a humanitarian crisis. I think they probably would come to us and want to make a deal,” Trump said Saturday. “So Cuba would be free again.”
He predicted they would make some sort of deal with Cuba and said, "I think, you know, we’ll be kind.”
Price reported from Washington.
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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cube_corner said:
cube_corner said:
Most of the violence lately comes from leftists, but nobody seems to write about those of us who fear for our safety. And there are many of us.
cube_corner said:
Awful what they're doing to this kids. The images suggest it's >90% young girls, too. Imagine what lies they tell them. Horrible and sad.
cube_corner said:
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