Cuban President Miguel Díaz‑Canel vowed his government would repel any external aggression after former U.S. President Donald Trump suggested the United States might “take” the island, which faces months of intensified U.S. pressure and a deepening energy crisis.
“In the face of the worst scenario, Cuba is accompanied by a certainty: any external aggressor will clash with an impregnable resistance,” Díaz‑Canel wrote on X, accusing the U.S. of seeking to overthrow Cuba’s government and exploit its resources.
Trump’s comments came during a White House event where he hinted, “we’ll be doing something with Cuba very soon.” Previously he said the U.S. might “take Cuba in some form,” and last month suggested a “friendly takeover of Cuba” could be possible. He added to reporters, “Whether I free it, take it, I think I could do anything I want with it.” He also said talks with Cuba were underway and that the U.S. would either “make a deal or do whatever we have to do,” while indicating he wants to resolve the war with Iran before addressing Cuba. He has not provided specific plans.
Observers say Trump’s foreign policy this year has taken a more aggressive turn: he reportedly ordered a January operation aimed at Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and initiated military action involving Iran weeks later. Other measures affecting Cuba have included threats of tariffs on countries supplying oil to the island, a move that effectively halted petroleum deliveries and contributed to severe fuel shortages.
Those shortages have intensified Cuba’s ongoing energy crisis, producing island‑wide blackouts this week and prompting reports of protests. Separately, federal prosecutors in Miami are pursuing potential charges against Cuban officials tied to economic, drug, violent and immigration offenses, according to earlier reporting.
A U.S. official told CBS News in January that Washington’s publicly stated goal is not to provoke the immediate collapse of Cuba’s government but to negotiate a transition away from its authoritarian, communist system.
Amid the strain, Cuba announced one notable economic concession: it will permit Cuban nationals living abroad, including in the U.S., to invest in companies on the island. The change is unusual for an economy long dominated by state control, though strict U.S. sanctions may limit how much American investment it can attract.
On Tuesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio criticized the Cuban move as insufficient. “Cuba has an economy that doesn’t work and a political and governmental system that can’t fix it,” he said. “So they have to change dramatically. What they announced yesterday is not dramatic enough. It’s not going to fix it. So they’ve got some big decisions to make over there.”