U.S. President Donald Trump acknowledged the bravery of Cubans who fled the island in search of freedom and highlighted the difficult conditions they faced during their journey.
We have many people who came from Cuba, who were expelled or who escaped on rafts. They crossed waters infested with sharks. I don't know how they managed to do it. It was many years ago.
Trump added that many of those Cubans would like to return to their country or reunite with their families: “Many would like to return. The men would at least want to visit their relatives.”
During his statements, the president also asserted that the United States is negotiating with the leaders of Cuba and that both parties might be nearing an agreement: "We are dealing with the leaders of Cuba right now. I believe we are at a pretty close point."
Trump reiterated that Cuba is “a failed nation” and maintained that it no longer receives money from Venezuela or any other country, while stating that Mexico will stop sending them oil.
Trump's statements come in a context where his administration has intensified pressure on countries supplying oil to Cuba, including Mexico, with the aim of cutting off the regime's sources of funding and forcing Havana to negotiate from a position of economic weakness.
In recent weeks, the U.S. president has ordered a crackdown on sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean and has instructed Southern Command to continue intercepting ships linked to the illegal transport of Venezuelan crude oil to the island.
Washington has characterized these actions as part of a "long-range operation" to stop the energy flow that, according to the White House, "fuels corrupt regimes and criminal organizations."
In parallel, Trump has stated that Mexico will stop sending oil to Cuba, a claim that contrasts with the statements made by the Mexican president, Claudia Sheinbaum, who asserted on Sunday that her government is preparing to send humanitarian aid to the island, including food and basic supplies.
The president denied having discussed the energy issue with the U.S. leader.
The pressure measures from Washington come as Cuba faces one of the worst energy crises in decades, with widespread blackouts and fuel shortages.
In that context, Trump has insisted that his goal is not to punish the Cuban people, but to accelerate "a transition to a free and prosperous Cuba," a message he has reinforced with repeated references to the exile community and Cuban-American communities in Florida, which he sees as a fundamental pillar of his policy towards the island.
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