The US president has not ruled out a military invasion of the island, which is already struggling under an American oil blockade<\/p>\n
US President Donald Trump has said he wants to \u201cget Cuba done\u201d before leaving office in two years, adding that he is open to ordering a military operation against the island.
\nSpeaking to conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt on Thursday, Trump made clear that he \u201cwould certainly consider\u201d a week-long campaign against Cuba, which the US has kept under a de facto blockade while openly advocating for regime change.
\n\u201cI want to get Cuba done before I leave. And we have a very good, talented guy for Cuba named Marco,\u201d he said, referring to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, whose parents emigrated from Cuba and who has been particularly critical of the government in Havana.<\/p>\n
Read more<\/p>\n
Devastating Cuba: The American Empire is declining and is trying to drag everyone down with it<\/p>\n
Last month, Rubio urged Cuban dissidents seeking \u201cpositive change\u201d to establish a \u201cdiscrete partnership with the CIA.\u201d He has also defended US sanctions, blaming Cuba\u2019s leadership rather than the six-decade-old American embargo for the country\u2019s worsening economic crisis.
\nCuban Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernandez de Cossio mocked Rubio\u2019s comments, saying \u201cthere must be a great deal of desperation or misery within the agency for it to be forced to sell its services like a tube of toothpaste.\u201d<\/p>\n
Read more<\/p>\n
US seeks next leader of Cuba \u2013 NYT<\/p>\n
The US escalated pressure on Cuba after the kidnapping of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro in January. Washington essentially cut Cuba off from crucial Venezuelan oil, while also threatening tariffs against other countries supplying the island.
\nThe resulting fuel shortages have aggravated an already severe humanitarian crisis, bringing repeated nationwide blackouts and disrupting water supplies, transport, and healthcare. Russia, one of Cuba\u2019s long-time close partners, sent hundreds of thousands of barrels of oil to the island as humanitarian aid, although the shipment provided only temporary relief.
\nIn July, CBS News reported that Pentagon planners had considered an air assault against Cuba involving thousands of US troops from the elite 101st Airborne Division. In September, the network reported an Army Reserve inquiry about support units, including police forces and medical personnel, which might be needed within 90 to 120 days as part of potential Cuba-related planning. Neither report indicated that Trump had ordered a military operation.
\nCuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez has accused Washington of seeking to create a \u201chumanitarian catastrophe\u201d through its fuel restrictions. President Miguel Diaz-Canel has also insisted that Cuba\u2019s future would never be decided in Washington, warning that Havana would fight back against any US invasion.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The US president has not ruled out a military invasion of the island, which is already struggling under an American oil blockade US President Donald Trump has said he wants…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":41076,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,6,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-41075","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy","category-environment","category-politics"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t