Cuba is ‘ready’ for talks with U.S. amid growing pressure from Trump
WASHINGTON— Cuba’s top diplomat in Washington said Havana was ready to begin diplomatic talks with the United States, reiterating the country’s willingness to participate in talks even as tensions escalate as President Trump claims the island nation’s government could soon collapse.
“We are ready to contact the United States on issues that are important for bilateral relations and to discuss issues on which we have disagreements.” Ambassador Lianys Torres Riverathe person who heads Cuba’s mission in Washington told The Times on Wednesday.
The ambassador said any dialogue must respect Cuba’s sovereignty and “right to self-determination.”
“We are confident that it is possible to find a solution,” he said.
His comments in a wide-ranging interview come at a particularly volatile time for Cuba, which is under increasing economic pressure in the wake of the Trump administration’s oil blockade that has choked off the island’s energy supplies.
The measures have deepened the humanitarian crisis and prompted Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel to call for an “urgent” overhaul of the country’s economic model.
The situation in Cuba worsened when US forces deposed Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in January, which allowed Washington to subsequently cut off oil shipments from Venezuela to its long-time ally. The Trump administration then pressured other suppliers, including Mexico, to reduce deliveries.
“We are doing the best we can and we are very creative, but it has a serious impact,” Torres Rivera said of the blockade. “This is collective punishment against the Cuban people.”
The White House this week framed Cuba’s deteriorating economic and humanitarian conditions as a potential opening that would force Havana to negotiate.
“The country is clearly in a very weak state economically, the people are crying out for help, and the president believes and knows that the Cuban regime wants a deal,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said at a news conference Tuesday.
Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Florida) he told the Miami Herald on Wednesday. It was stated that the Trump administration held secret, high-level meetings with several people from former President Raul Castro’s close circle, and a similar approach was adopted in Venezuela before Maduro was captured. (32 Cuban officers serving in the country were killed in the operation to capture Maduro.)
Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel, fourth from right, raises the Cuban flag during a rally in Havana on January 16, 2026, to protest the killing of Cuban officers during the US operation that captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
(Ramon Espinosa / Associated Press)
Another report from USA Today This week, it was rumored that the Trump administration was close to announcing an economic deal with Cuba that would ease travel restrictions, among other things. A representative of the Cuban government declined to comment on the report.
The White House did not specify what a deal would look like. But Trump has said the United States is interested in a “friendly takeover” and suggested the move would allow Cubans to visit the island, where many exiled Cubans are anxious to return while the current regime continues.
“It’s just a matter of time before a lot of incredible people come back to Cuba,” Trump said at an event last week.
Various news sources They reported that the Justice Department was investigating possible federal charges against officials within the Cuban government, a move that could lead to a change in the island’s government.
Torres Rivera said he was aware of the reports but that the “judicial charges” were “a tool of political pressure without any legitimacy.”
“This isn’t something we’re going to lose sleep over,” he said.
As for potential negotiations, Torres Rivera did not provide details but spoke of restoring diplomatic ties to their status during the Obama administration.
“We are neighbors,” he said. “We have common challenges, common threats, and we can talk about all of them, we can talk on the basis of respect for each other’s sovereignty and each other’s right to self-determination. We are ready for that.”
President Trump took a harsher tone towards diplomacy with Cuba.
“As we achieve a historic transformation in Venezuela, we also look forward to the great change that will soon come to Cuba,” Trump said Saturday, a week after U.S. and Israeli forces attacked Iran and killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
He added: “Cuba is at the end of the line. They are actually at the end of the line. They have no money. They have no oil. They have a bad philosophy. They have a bad regime that has been bad for a very long time.”
Trump said he appointed Secretary of State Marco Rubio to lead negotiations with Cuba and that he believed “a deal could be made very easily with Cuba.”
Torres Rivera did not express any opinion on Rubio leading the negotiations. Rubio is the son of Cuban immigrants who came to Florida three years before Castro’s brother, revolutionary Fidel Castro, came to power in 1959. Rubio reiterated that Cuba is “ready to enter” negotiations regardless of who leads them.
“We are not talking about individuals, we are talking about the government, and we are ready to engage with the United States on very important issues that we have in bilateral relations,” he said.
