The President of the United States, Donald Trump, stated that he would be willing to reach an agreement with the Cuban regime if the country initiates a process of political opening and abandons the communist system.
"It doesn't have to be a humanitarian crisis. They could come to us and we would make a deal. This way, Cuba would be free again," stated the leader.
During his statements on Saturday night, Trump confirmed that he personally requested the President of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, to suspend the shipment of oil to Cuba, and he stated that the leader complied with his request.
"I told her that we didn't want them to send oil there, and she is not sending oil," he affirmed.
The president's remarks came days after he signed an Executive Order declaring a national emergency in response to the threat posed by the Cuban regime, which he accused of maintaining ties with Russia, China, Iran, Hezbollah, and Hamas.
The measure imposes sanctions and tariffs on countries that supply crude oil to the Island.
Trump emphasized that any future negotiations with Cuba will be conducted "from a position of strength" and with clear demands: respect for human rights, the release of political prisoners, and the end of military control over the economy.
"We will be kind, but we have a very bad situation there", he said.
The Mexican president justified the suspension of crude oil shipments to Cuba by claiming it could lead to “a humanitarian crisis,” but Trump responded that “there is no reason for it if the regime accepts a political change.”
From Havana, Miguel Díaz-Canel accused Washington of imposing an "energy blockade" to suffocate the country.
"They have decided to deprive the Cuban people of the fuel necessary to sustain their economy and daily life," declared the leader, who insisted that the regime "will not give in" to the sanctions.
Tensions between the two countries are escalating following the U.S. military operation in Venezuela that resulted in the capture of Nicolás Maduro.
Trump reiterated that the goal of his administration is to "free the Cuban people from the control of communism" and assured that Cuba "is in a very bad situation, without money and without oil."
The U.S. president stated that his administration keeps the doors open for dialogue, but only if the Havana regime agrees to “change the rules” and abandon the system imposed since 1959.
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