 "Cuba's Santa Cruz del Norte reels from blackouts and oil shortages as Trump's tariffs choke Venezuelan supplies. File photo")
US President Donald Trump has said that he would have the “honour of taking Cuba” as the country plunges into total darkness amid a power blackout.
Trump claimed that he can do “anything” he wants with Cuba, amid US negotiations with Havana over the island country’s future.
“You know, all my life I’ve been hearing about the United States and Cuba. When will the United States do it?” Trump said. He added, “I do believe I’ll be … having the honour of taking Cuba. Whether I free it, take it – think I could do anything I want with it. You want to know the truth. They’re a very weakened nation right now.”
According to a report by The New York Times, US officials have asked for the removal of Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel during the recently held talks between the two countries.
The US has sought to intensify pressure on Cuba, its longtime foe, since seizing the Venezuelan president, Nicolás Maduro, Cuba’s most important foreign benefactor, in January. Trump cut off Venezuelan oil shipments to Cuba and threatened to put tariffs on any country that sold oil to Cuba, strangling its antiquated power grid.
Protests in Cuba
In the Cuban city of Moron, protesters vandalised a local office of the ruling Communist Party during a demonstration over rising food prices and frequent power cuts. Authorities said that five people have been arrested after people damaged the building overnight and set furniture on fire in the street.
Demonstrators reportedly threw stones at the building and targeted other state-run facilities, including a pharmacy and a government-operated market.
The unrest comes as Cubans struggle with worsening blackouts and shortages of food, fuel and medicine. The capital, Havana, has recently experienced power outages for long hours. Demonstrations were also held by students at the University of Havana because of disruptions to their studies caused by electricity shortages.
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No oil has been imported to the island since January 9, hitting the power sector while also forcing airlines to curtail flights to the island, a blow to the all-important tourism sector.
In a bid to relieve economic pressure – and meet US demands – a senior economic official in Cuba announced Monday that Cuban exiles would now be able to invest and own businesses there.
“Cuba is open to having a fluid commercial relationship with US companies” and “also with Cubans residing in the United States and their descendants,” Oscar Perez-Oliva, who is foreign trade minister and also deputy prime minister, told NBC News.
With inputs from agencies