Trump Predicts U.S.-Cuba Agreement, Sees No Need for Military Action

President Donald Trump predicted Saturday that the United States and Cuba will make a deal and that military action will not be required. “I would say that Cuba and us will make a deal. I don’t think we’ll need the military,” he told reporters at the White House before departing for Tennessee.

Trump added that the United States wants to help Cuba and open the island to American people. The comments come after the administration imposed an oil blockade that has intensified fuel shortages and blackouts on the island, and after Trump’s United Nations speech earlier in the week in which he called Cuba a failed state and said freedom would be coming. Cuban delegates walked out of that address.

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez stated later Saturday that Cuba remains open to dialogue with the United States. He did not directly address Trump’s latest remarks.

The administration has made clear its objective of changing Cuba’s government. Earlier Army Reserve messaging about potential SOUTHCOM support missions indicated contingency planning, but the president’s public statement Saturday emphasizes a negotiated path. Back-channel discussions earlier in the year reportedly involved energy and investment offers that did not reach agreement.

Trump’s prediction adds a presidential voice to ongoing Western Hemisphere pressure. No formal negotiation timeline or specific demands were detailed in the Saturday remarks.