WASHINGTON, May 12 - President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that Cuba has asked for help and that the United States "are going to talk," but he declined to provide additional specifics about planned discussions or U.S. strategy.
Trump has increased pressure on the Caribbean island since returning to office last year, and has warned that Cuba "is next" following the capture of Nicolas Maduro, the president of Cuba's longtime ally Venezuela, by U.S. forces in January. In a posting on his Truth Social platform, the president wrote: "No Republican has ever spoken to me about Cuba, which is a failed country and only heading in one direction - down! Cuba is asking for help, and we are going to talk!!! In the meantime, I’m off to China!"
When asked by reporters at the White House as he prepared to depart for a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Trump repeated that Cuba "is not doing well. It’s a failed nation, and we’ll be talking about Cuba at the right time," but he did not elaborate on who would participate in the talks, what form they would take, or when they would begin.
The administration has recently tightened economic measures toward Cuba. Actions described by U.S. officials include fresh financial sanctions and the expansion of existing measures, a fuel blockade, restrictions on U.S. travel to the island, limits on remittances from the United States to Cuba, and efforts to dissuade regional partners from contracting Cuban medical personnel.
A White House official offering no additional operational detail said only: "Within a short period of time they will fall, and we will be there to help them out." The official did not define the timeframe referenced or specify the forms of assistance the United States would provide.
Requests for comment to representatives of the U.S. State Department and to the Cuban government did not receive responses.
Trump was en route to meetings with Chinese leaders when he made his remarks. China has publicly called on the United States to end its embargo and sanctions on Cuba immediately. The president told reporters at the White House that he expected to have a productive meeting with Xi.
This account is based solely on statements and actions reported by U.S. officials and the president's own public remarks. Details about the scope, participants, timing and objectives of any proposed talks with Cuba have not been released by the administration.