President Donald Trump predicted on Saturday that the US and Cuba will reach an agreement and that he does not think 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,” Trump told reporters at the White House.
The Trump administration has openly stated that its goal is to change Cuba’s government. A US-imposed oil blockade implemented earlier this year has put the country under severe strain as it contends with fuel shortages and blackouts exacerbated by failing infrastructure.
“We want to help Cuba,” Trump said before departing for Tennessee. “We want to open Cuba up to our people.”
In an address to the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, Trump called Cuba a failed state and said “freedom will be coming” to the island nation. The Cuban delegation walked out of the hall during that speech.
(Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt, Katharine Jackson; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani)