The U.S. could have what President Donald Trump on Friday called a “friendly takeover” of Cuba as the U.S. continues blockading the island’s main fuel supplier.
President Donald Trump on Friday said he’s considering what he called a “friendly takeover” of Cuba as the U.S. continues blockading the island’s main fuel supplier.
Trump told reporters outside that Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been dealing with the issue at a “very high level.”
Get breaking National news
For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen.
“The Cuban government is talking with us, and they’re in a big deal of trouble,” Trump said as he left the White House for a trip to Texas. “They have no money. They have no anything right now, but they’re talking with us, and maybe we’ll have a friendly takeover of Cuba.”
Cuba is in the midst of a fuel shortage and humanitarian crisis, the latest in many years of economic hardship. Trump effectively cut off oil shipments to the island by blockading Venezuela and threatening tariffs on any country that stepped in to fill the void.
Cuba’s ambassador to Canada told a House of Commons committee earlier this week the U.S. is “suffocating” the people living there.
Trump has mentioned the possibility of the U.S. taking over other countries, including Canada and Greenland.
More to come.
— With files Reuters