Teresa Rodriguez, 58, looks at Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel in Havana, Cuba, on March 13, 2026 Diaz-Canel said the country has begun talks with the US government amid a severe economic crisis and the communist government has come under increasing pressure from US President Donald Trump.
Norlis Perez | reuters
The Cuban government has held talks with Donald Trump’s administration, the country’s President Miguel Diaz-Canel said on Friday.
It confirmed speculation that the two countries were talking after US President Trump reiterated his threat of a “friendly takeover” of Cuba, saying the communist-run Caribbean island was in “deep crisis”.
“The purpose of these talks is to resolve through dialogue the bilateral differences that exist between the two countries,” Diaz-Canel said, according to a readout. Posted By Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla on social media.
“There are international factors that have facilitated these exchanges,” Diaz-Canel said.
The country is facing a worsening economic crisis. The US has imposed an oil blockade on the island since January, soon after Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, its ally and major oil provider, was captured in an extraordinary military operation.
A massive blackout last week left millions of people on the island without power.
At a press conference on Friday, Diaz-Canel also warned that negotiations were a “long process” that requires will and channels for dialogue, adding, “All of this takes time,” CBS News.
Trump has recently spoken publicly about the possibility of Cuba becoming the subject of another major foreign policy move.
The US President said earlier this month that after the overthrow of the Iranian regime, “Cuba is going to collapse too,” According to Politico.