U.S. President Donald Trump said Sunday that he could soon strike a deal with Cuba or take other action, following protests in the island nation’s capital as its population faces rolling blackouts, fuel shortages and economic turmoil.
The president signalled that developments in the tumultuous relations between the U.S. and Cuba — defined by long-standing trade sanctions, diplomatic uncertainty, disagreements over security, migration and economic policy — could be on the horizon.
“Cuba also wants to make a deal, and I think we will pretty soon either make a deal or do whatever we have to do,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One.
“We’re talking to Cuba, but we’re going to do Iran before Cuba,” he added.
His comments came as discontent in Cuba boiled over into protests.
On Saturday night, locals in the city of Moron vandalized a Communist Party building, largely in response to blackouts and shortages of food, fuel and medicine, worsened by a U.S. blockade and disruptions to oil imports, which the island relies on to run power plants and transit networks.
Five people were arrested, the BBC reported.
Fuel shortages have forced authorities to impose rolling electricity outages across the country and limit some public services.
State-run bodega manager Roberto Roman carries bags of donated Mexican humanitarian assistance to be delivered to a family in Havana, Cuba, on Feb. 19, 2026.
AP Photo/Ramon EspinosaIn a post on X, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel said that while it was understandable that conditions in Cuba are causing distress and that the “complaints” and “demands” of the people are “legitimate,” turning to violence would “threaten citizen tranquillity and the security of our institutions.”
“For vandalism and violence, there will be no impunity,” he concluded.
https://x.com/DiazCanelB/status/2032909505537671468
Díaz-Canel confirmed Friday that the country was in talks with the U.S.
“These talks have been aimed at finding solutions through dialogue to the bilateral differences we have between the two nations,” Díaz-Canel said in a video aired on state television, adding that he hoped the negotiations would move the adversaries “away from confrontation.”
In recent weeks, Trump has made a series of statements claiming Cuba was on the verge of collapse or eager to make a deal with the U.S.
Early last week, he said Cuba may be subject to a “friendly takeover,” then added, “it may not be a friendly takeover.”
He made similar comments in late February, telling reporters that Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been dealing with the issue at a “very high level.”
“The Cuban government is talking with us, and they’re in a big deal of trouble,” Trump said. “They have no money. They have no anything right now, but they’re talking with us, and maybe we’ll have a friendly takeover of Cuba.”
The first signs of policy shifts came on Monday when the country’s economic czar told NBC News that Cuban nationals living abroad, including in places like Miami, will be permitted to invest in the private sector and own businesses in Cuba.
Oscar Pérez-Oliva Fraga, Cuba’s deputy prime minister, said in an interview in Havana before announcing the news to the nation, that “Cuba is open to having a fluid commercial relationship with U.S. companies” and “also with Cubans residing in the United States and their descendants.”
Despite the renewed contact, significant differences remain between the two governments. U.S. officials have suggested that any easing of pressure would likely depend on political and economic concessions from Havana, while Cuban leaders insist that negotiations must respect the island’s independence.
— With files from Reuters
© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
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