Trump Expects Deal With Cuba, Says He Doesn’t Think Military Action Necessary

U.S. President Donald Trump said he expects the United States and Cuba to reach an agreement and does not believe that military action will be necessary.

“I would say that Cuba and us will make a deal. I don’t think we’ll need the military,” he told reporters at the White House on Sept. 26.

Trump did not give any details on what he thought a deal would include.

“We want to help Cuba,” he said. “We want to open Cuba up to our people.”

His comments followed a speech on Sept. 22 at the United Nations in which he called Cuba a failed state and said that “freedom will be coming” to the island. The Cuban delegation walked out during the speech.

The Trump administration has stated that it wants to change Cuba’s regime.

Trump said that Cuba has “spent decades coordinating with the left-wing radicals and communist networks here in the United States.” He cited the U.S. State Department, which has stated that Cuba has “cultivated ties to subversive and radical groups” that include the Communist Party USA, Antifa, and the Democratic Socialists of America.

“Communism will never be coming to America, but freedom will be coming to Cuba,” Trump said.

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez said later on Sept. 26 that Cuba remains open to dialogue and commercial ties with the United States. He did not directly address Trump’s prediction and condemned the longstanding U.S. trade embargo.

The Trump administration has intensified pressure on Cuba this year. The United States imposed an oil blockade on Cuba in January following the capture of former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, cutting off Cuba from importing Venezuelan oil. That oil blockade has added to the country’s fuel shortages and power outages.

On Aug. 6, the State Department announced sanctions against Cuban military procurement networks, stating that they obtain weapons and equipment from countries including Russia and China.

The measures target state enterprises, military firms, and officials, including Cuba’s military attachés in Russia and China.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused Havana of allowing U.S. adversaries to operate near American shores and said Washington would continue to press for reforms.

Rubio accused the communist Cuban regime of sponsoring terrorism, spying on the United States, supporting violent groups, spreading Marxist ideology, and hosting U.S. adversaries such as Russia, China, and Iran to plot operations against the United States.

On May 20, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that it had indicted former Cuban leader Raúl Castro on murder charges in the United States.

Reuters contributed to this report.