Trump Moves To Force Cuba Deal As Regime Looks Fragile

The Trump administration is actively pursuing the removal of Cuba’s Communist government by the end of the year, emboldened by the dramatic US-led ouster of Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro, according to people familiar with internal discussions.

Senior US officials believe Cuba’s economy is closer to collapse than at any point in decades, having lost critical support from Caracas after Maduro’s fall. Chronic shortages, rolling blackouts and fuel scarcity have left the island vulnerable, with economists warning Cuba could run out of oil within weeks.

While Washington has no formal military plan for Havana, officials say the January raid that captured Maduro — aided by an insider from his inner circle — is being used as both a blueprint and a warning. That operation reportedly killed 32 Cuban soldiers and intelligence officers embedded in Maduro’s security detail.

President Trump has publicly escalated pressure, warning on social media that there will be “NO MORE OIL OR MONEY” for Cuba and urging its leaders to “make a deal before it’s too late.”

US officials have held meetings with Cuban exiles and civic groups, searching for regime insiders willing to negotiate an exit. The administration is also targeting Cuba’s overseas medical missions — Havana’s main source of hard currency — with visa bans and sanctions.

Trump allies see toppling the Cuban regime as the defining test of his hemispheric strategy, particularly after what they view as success in Venezuela. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, whose family fled Cuba in the 1950s, has long pushed for regime change.

However, officials privately concede Cuba may be harder to crack. Unlike Venezuela, it is a tightly controlled one-party state with little organised opposition and a long history of resisting US pressure.

Havana has rejected any suggestion of surrender, warning it will not negotiate “under coercion or intimidation” as tensions rise.

Key Takeaways

• US aims to force a deal in Havana after Maduro’s fall weakens Cuba

• Economic collapse looms, with oil shortages threatening paralysis

• Venezuela-style regime change seen as model — but Cuba may resist

SOURCE: MSN

There was no regime change in Venezuela!