"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."
"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."
"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.""
The United States has initiated contact with Cuban leaders while escalating pressure by cutting off key oil supplies. The administration halted Venezuelan oil shipments and targeted countries supplying oil to Cuba with a tariff, putting pressure on Mexico. The measures have tightened Cuba's fuel access and raised concerns about a potential humanitarian crisis. Mexican leadership signaled plans to seek alternatives to keep helping Cuba. The U.S. president predicted the Cuban government could fall, offered no details on the outreach, and said negotiations could lead to Cuba being "free again."
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