Havana: The Trump administration, encouraged by the removal of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, is looking for allies within Cuba's government who might help negotiate an end to Communist rule in the country before the year concludes, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing.
According to Anadolu Agency, US officials believe Cuba's economy is nearing collapse and that the government is unusually vulnerable after losing critical support from Venezuela. The report noted that while there is no detailed plan to dismantle the regime, officials see Maduro's capture and the concessions that followed as both a model and a warning for Havana.
US President Donald Trump, in a Jan. 11 social-media post, urged Cuba to "make a deal" before it's too late, emphasizing that "no more oil or money" would be sent to the island. Officials have reportedly met with Cuban exile groups in Miami and Washington to identify potential allies within the Cuban government.
The operation that led to Maduro's capture was allegedly supported by an insider, and a US military raid in Caracas resulted in the deaths of 32 Cuban soldiers and intelligence operatives who were protecting him. While the US has not openly threatened military action against Cuba, officials suggest the Venezuela raid was intended to demonstrate the potential consequences of resistance.
Intelligence assessments describe Cuba's economy as dire, with shortages of goods, medicine, and electricity. Washington aims to further weaken the Cuban government by cutting off Venezuelan oil supplies and targeting Cuba's overseas medical missions, its main source of foreign currency. A White House official described Cuba's rulers as "incompetent Marxists" and reiterated the importance of making a deal.
The State Department emphasized that it is in the US national interest for Cuba to transition to democratic governance and to prevent adversarial military and intelligence forces from gaining a foothold on the island. Some officials believe Trump prefers applying pressure while allowing room for negotiation rather than pursuing traditional regime-change strategies.
Despite these pressures, Cuba's leadership has endured decades of US pressure. Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel, in a memorial speech for Cuban personnel killed while protecting Maduro, stated that there would be no surrender or capitulation under coercion or intimidation.
In Havana, worsening blackouts and fuel shortages have left streets quiet at night, punctuated only by the sound of residents banging pots from their homes, a discreet sign of increasing desperation. "You can't tell who it is. They don't yell or anything. It's just that -- banging on pots," explained Rodolfo Jimenez, a retiree. "They only do it at night. People are afraid of being snitched on."