President Donald Trump stated this Sunday that the Cuban regime will collapse soon and that the United States will be ready to intervene. "In a short time, it will fail, and we will be there to help," Trump declared when asked about his previous statement that "Cuba will be next" on his administration's agenda.
The statement, made during a meeting with journalists aboard Air Force One, marks a nuance in the president's rhetoric: instead of talking about "taking" Cuba, Trump adopts a tone of future assistance, though within the framework of a maximum pressure strategy aimed at the collapse of the regime without direct military intervention.
The president also seems to have ended the oil blockade.
When asked if it was true that the United States would allow the tanker to pass, Trump responded directly: "If a country wants to send some oil to Cuba, I have no problem with that."
When the journalist asked him whether he was concerned that this would benefit Putin, the president dismissed it: "It doesn't help him. He's losing an oil ship. That's all it is. It doesn't bother me."
Trump justified the decision with a humanitarian argument: "I prefer to let him in, whether he's from Russia or any other country, because people need heating, cooling, and all the other things you need."
At the same time, the president was emphatic about the Cuban regime: "Cuba is finished. They have a bad regime. They have very poor and corrupt leadership. And whether or not they receive an oil ship, it won't matter."
This is the latest in a series of statements by Trump regarding Cuba throughout March 2026. Last Thursday, during the FII Priority Summit at the Faena Forum in Miami Beach, Trump declared, "Cuba is next" and added ironically: "Please pretend I didn't say that. Please, please, please, media, please ignore that statement. Thank you very much."
On March 16, from the White House, he went further: "I believe that I will have the honor of taking Cuba", describing the island as a "failed nation" without money or oil, but with "good land" and "beautiful landscapes."
The U.S. pressure has legal backing in Executive Order 14380, signed by Trump on January 29, 2026, which declared Cuba an extraordinary threat and imposed tariffs on countries that provide it with oil.
Miguel Díaz-Canel himself confirmed on March 13 that Cuba is negotiating with the United States to address the energy crisis, and the regime released 51 political prisoners as a gesture. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is leading the negotiations, which, according to Trump, are taking place "at a very high level" and could be concluded "in an hour."
The Washington plan, revealed by Bloomberg, aims to turn Cuba into an economic protectorate without military invasion, with a possible exit for Díaz-Canel and a role for the Castro family.
Meanwhile, the Democratic opposition in Congress introduced the "Prevent an Unconstitutional War in Cuba Act" last Thursday to block federal funds intended for military actions against Cuba without legislative approval.
The Republican senator Ted Cruz predicted in March that there will be changes in government in Cuba within the next six months, while Representative Mario Díaz-Balart indicated that the regime may not survive.
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