Trump Suggests 'Friendly Takeover' of Cuba Amid Intensified US Pressure

Washington D.C. - US President Donald Trump has suggested that the United States could take control of the island nation of Cuba. Speaking to reporters on the White House lawn, Trump hinted at the possibility of a 'friendly control' over Cuba.

Expressing his desire to see new governments in countries like Iran and Cuba, he claimed that Cuba's current situation is extremely critical. According to Trump, the Cuban government is currently in dialogue with the US and is caught in major trouble.

Mentioning the severe shortage of money, oil, and food in Cuba, Trump commented that the regime is on the verge of collapse. He stated that Cuban-American Secretary of State Marco Rubio is working at a high level on this matter and that the Cuban people are expecting US assistance.

Recently, the US has intensified economic and diplomatic pressure on Cuba. Tensions between the two countries reached a peak, especially following the military action targeting Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro last January.

Thirty-two Cuban soldiers were killed in that operation. Since then, Trump has imposed strict sanctions on oil and financial resources going to Cuba, causing its energy system to be on the verge of collapse.

However, United Nations human rights experts have called Trump's move a violation of international law and an extreme form of economic coercion. The Trump administration, since the beginning of its second term, has been pursuing a policy of expanding American influence and territory under the concept of 'Ascendant Nation'.

Trump has named this expansionist vision the 'Donner Doctrine,' under which he has already expressed a desire to increase US control or influence in areas such as Gaza, Venezuela, Greenland, and Canada.

Al Jazeera