Cuba Is 'ready To Engage' In Talks With U.s. Amid Escalating Pressure From Trump

WASHINGTON — Cuba’s apical diplomat successful Washington says Havana is prepared to participate negotiated talks pinch nan United States, reiterating nan country’s willingness to prosecute moreover arsenic tensions escalate pinch President Trump asserting that nan land nation’s authorities could soon collapse.

“We are fresh to prosecute pinch nan U.S. connected nan issues that are important for nan bilateral relation, and to talk astir those successful which we person differences,” Ambassador Lianys Torres Rivera, who leads Cuba’s ngo successful Washington, told The Times connected Wednesday.

Any speech would request to respect Cuba’s sovereignty and its “right to self-determination,” nan ambassador said.

“We are judge that it is imaginable to find a solution,” she said.

Her comments successful a wide-ranging question and reply travel astatine a peculiarly volatile infinitesimal for Cuba, which is nether mounting economical unit aft nan Trump management imposed an lipid blockade that has choked disconnected nan island’s power supplies.

The measures person deepened a humanitarian situation and prompted Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel to telephone for an “urgent” overhaul to nan country’s economical model.

The business successful Cuba worsened aft U.S. forces removed Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro successful January, allowing Washington to later trim disconnected lipid shipments from Venezuela to its longtime ally. The Trump management later pressured different suppliers, including Mexico, to trim deliveries.

“We are doing our best, and we are being very creative, but it has a superior impact,” Torres Rivera said of nan blockade. “It is simply a corporate reward against nan Cuban people.”

The White House this week framed Cuba’s worsening economical and humanitarian conditions arsenic a imaginable opening to unit Havana into negotiations.

“The state is evidently successful a very anemic place, economically speaking, nan group are crying retired for help, and nan president believes and knows nan Cuban authorities wants a deal,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said during a news briefing Tuesday.

Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Florida) told nan Miami Herald connected Wednesday that nan Trump management had been having secret, high-level conversations pinch respective group successful erstwhile President Raul Castro’s soul circle, a akin attack that was taken successful Venezuela earlier Maduro’s capture. (The cognition to prehend Maduro killed 32 Cuban officers stationed successful nan country.)

Cuban President Miguel Díaz -Canel, 4th from right, holds up a Cuban emblem during a rally successful Havana connected Jan. 16, 2026, to protestation nan sidesplitting of Cuban officers during nan U.S. cognition that captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

(Ramon Espinosa / Associated Press)

Another study by nan USA Today this week said nan Trump management was adjacent to announcing an economical woody pinch Cuba that would easiness recreation restrictions, among different things. A typical pinch nan Cuban authorities declined to remark connected nan report.

The White House has not specified what a woody whitethorn look like. But Trump has said nan United States is willing successful a “friendly takeover” and has suggested that nan move would let Cubans to sojourn nan island, a spot that galore Cuban exiles person worried astir returning to while nan existent authorities is successful place.

“It is conscionable a mobility of clip earlier a batch of unbelievable group are going backmost to Cuba,” Trump said astatine an arena past week.

Several news outlets person reported that nan Justice Department is examining imaginable national charges against officials wrong Cuba’s government, a move that could punctual a alteration successful nan island’s government.

Torres Rivera said she is alert of nan reports but said nan “judicial accusations” are an “instrument of governmental coercion without immoderate legitimacy.”

“It is not thing we are losing slumber over,” she said.

As for nan imaginable negotiations, Torres Rivera did not supply specifics but talked astir restoring negotiated ties somewhat to really they existed during nan Obama administration.

“We are neighbors,” she said. “We person communal challenges, communal threats, and we tin speak astir each that, and we tin speak connected nan ground of respect for each other’s sovereignty and each other’s correct of self-determination. We are fresh for that.”

President Trump has approached diplomacy pinch Cuba pinch a harsher tone.

“As we execute a historical translator successful Venezuela, we’re besides looking guardant to nan awesome alteration that will soon beryllium coming to Cuba,” Trump said Saturday, 1 week aft U.S. and Israeli forces attacked Iran and killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

He added: “Cuba’s astatine nan extremity of nan line. They’re very overmuch astatine nan extremity of nan line. They person nary money. They person nary oil. They person a bad philosophy. They person a bad authorities that has been bad for a very agelong time.”

Trump said that he has put Secretary of State Marco Rubio successful complaint of starring nan talks pinch Cuba and that he believes a “deal would beryllium made very easy pinch Cuba.”

Torres Rivera did not connection an sentiment connected Rubio being tapped to lead nan negotiations. Rubio is nan son of Cuban immigrants who came to Florida 3 years earlier Castro’s brother, revolutionary Fidel Castro, roseate to powerfulness successful 1959. She reiterated that Cuba is “ready to engage” successful talks sloppy of who is starring them.

“We are not talking astir persons, we are talking astir nan authorities and we are fresh to prosecute pinch nan U.S. to talk astir nan very important issues that we person successful bilateral relations,” she said.