President Trump says the US “may visit Cuba” after the Iran war ends
President Donald Trump said the United States “may stop in Cuba after we finish” the Iran war.
WASHINGTON — In a sign of good faith, the United States has given Cuba two weeks to release prominent political prisoners.
The request was presented at a secret meeting in Cuba on April 10, according to people familiar with the discussions.
Among the names floated as candidates for release were Luis Manuel Otero Alcantara and Michael Osorbo, dissident artists from the San Isidro movement who were sentenced in 2022.
In a statement to USA TODAY, a State Department spokesperson said the Trump administration remains committed to the release of all political prisoners, including Alcantara and Osorbo.
The spokesperson said the administration should do so, pointing to President Trump’s remarks at an April 17 rally that a “new dawn for Cuba” was approaching. quit the game Because direct dialogue is taking place. The official said there was little room for the Cuban government to strike a deal.
A senior State Department delegation traveled to Cuba on April 10 to consult with the government, a State Department official confirmed to USA TODAY. During the visit, State Department officials also met separately with the grandson of former Cuban leader Raul Castro, the official said.
This is the first time a US government plane has landed in Cuba since 2016. Axios was the first news outlet to report that the talks had taken place.
State Department officials said officials told the Cuban government that the island’s economy was deteriorating rapidly and ruling elites had little room to make reforms before the situation deteriorated irreversibly. The official said President Trump is committed to pursuing diplomatic solutions where possible, but will not allow the island, which he views as a grave national security threat, to collapse if Cuban leaders do not or cannot act.
At this meeting, the United States proposed bringing Starlink high-speed internet service to Cuba. But officials said Havana needs to enact reforms to make Cuba’s economy more competitive and attractive to foreign investment. They also called for compensation for Americans and American-owned businesses whose property was confiscated and for restrictions on political freedoms to be lifted.
It was after this meeting that Mr. Castro’s grandson, Raul Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, contacted the Cuban businessman to bypass official channels and personally deliver the letter to the White House.
The man, Roberto Carlos Chamizo González, was intercepted in Miami, the Wall Street Journal first reported.
Tensions have been rising between the United States and Havana in recent weeks, with President Trump warning of a possible hostile takeover. After seizing Venezuela’s leadership in January, the Trump administration tightened years of sanctions and oil exports to Cuba as part of a broader campaign to force sweeping political changes on the communist-ruled island. Already in deep economic crisis, the near-total lockdown is pushing the country towards collapse.
In recent weeks, President Trump has said he believes he would have the “honor of occupying Cuba” and that the United States “may stop in Cuba” after relations with Iran end.
The United States has signaled in recent days that President Trump is still weighing his options. USA TODAY reported on April 15 that military plans for a Pentagon-led operation in Cuba are being secretly advanced in case President Trump orders intervention. Later, a U.S. military surveillance drone was spotted flying near Cuba.
Asked about the Pentagon’s plans for Air Force One on April 17, President Trump cryptically told reporters on April 17, “Well, it depends on your definition of military action.”
