Diyar Guldogan
17 February 2026•Update: 17 February 2026
WASHINGTON
The US is talking to Cuba "right now," President Donald Trump said Monday.
"We're talking to Cuba right now," he told reporters en route to Washington.
Trump said Secretary of State Marco Rubio is holding the talks.
"They should absolutely make a deal," he added.
Trump called Cuba "a failed nation."
"We'll see how it all turns out. But Cuba and us, we are talking. In the meantime, there's an embargo, there's no oil, there's no money," he said.
Asked if he would consider a military operation like the one in Venezuela, Trump said he did not want to answer that question.
"Why would I answer that? If I was, it wouldn't be a very tough operation, as you can figure, but I don't think that'll be necessary," he said.
The US has reinstated its blockade of Cuba, declaring its intention to overthrow the republic's communist government by one means or another.
Washington has imposed an embargo on fuel deliveries to the island nation, which was already facing acute shortages.
The US previously succeeded in halting oil supplies to Cuba from Mexico and Venezuela, and in the latter case, US forces captured President Nicolas Maduro.
Washington has also announced its intention to impose proportional import duties on goods from countries that dare to supply fuel to Cuba.
