The President of the United States, Donald Trump, stated that he does not believe Cuba will follow the same path as Venezuela, although he assured that Washington could act similarly if it chose to do so.
The statements were made during an interview with the chief correspondent of Fox News, Trey Yingst, at the White House this Wednesday.
"I see Cuba. Many things are going to happen in Cuba in perhaps the next two months, but I don't see it being like Venezuela," Trump said to Yingst, in a clip shared on X by the journalist himself.
When Yingst asked him if he was referring to a possible military action against the island, the leader did not rule out that possibility.
"Venezuela has enormous amounts of oil. We could do that with Cuba. It wouldn't be difficult for us to do," he noted.
Trump explained that, in his opinion, the difference between the two countries does not lie in the ability of the United States to intervene, but rather in the strategic value of Venezuela due to its natural resources.
"Venezuela is much larger than Cuba, but it has gold. It really has gold. It has a lot of gold, a lot of oil. It probably has the most valuable land in the world in terms of gold and rubies," he stated.
The statements come after plans from the Pentagon were revealed
The president's words come just a day after CBS News revealed that high-ranking officials from the Pentagon have evaluated various scenarios in recent weeks for a potential military operation against Cuba, including an air assault led by the 101st Airborne Division.
According to the report, at the end of June, the U.S. Army held a planning session to analyze possible courses of action that would involve the deployment of thousands of soldiers.
The acting spokesperson for the Pentagon, Joel Valdez, refrained from commenting on the information and only noted that the Department of Defense "does not comment on hypothetical military operations."
However, officials cited by CBS clarified that an immediate intervention is considered unlikely as a significant portion of U.S. military capabilities remains concentrated in the Middle East.
Pressure is mounting on Havana
Trump's statements come amid an escalation of pressure from Washington against the Cuban regime.
In recent months, the U.S. administration has tightened sanctions against Havana, drastically reduced the supply of oil to the island, and has the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier deployed in the Caribbean as part of the Southern Spear Operation.
On July 14, Trump had already warned that he would act "in a short time" if the presence of Iranian Shahed-136 drones in Cuba was confirmed. Meanwhile, the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, urged the Cuban leadership on July 11 to undertake "real reforms... before it is too late".
The president's statements come at a time of deep crisis on the island, characterized by continuous blackouts, fuel shortages, lack of essential goods, and inflation.
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