Report: Trump Aims to Topple Cuba’s Communist Regime By the End of the Year
The Trump administration is intensifying efforts to bring about a political shift in Cuba, aiming to dismantle the island’s communist leadership and reach an agreement that would end decades of one-party rule before the close of the year, according to a new report.
As part of that effort, U.S. officials are attempting to identify figures within the Cuban government who might be willing to cooperate with Washington in easing the current leadership out of power, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday.
While officials have not yet finalized a specific strategy to topple the communist system that has governed Cuba for nearly seven decades, they believe the regime is now more vulnerable than at any point in recent memory.
That assessment follows the removal of Venezuelan strongman Nicolas Maduro, an event U.S. officials say has sent shockwaves through Havana and pushed Cuba’s already weak economy toward the brink.
According to U.S. intelligence evaluations cited in the report, Cuba is grappling with widespread shortages of food, medicine, and other essentials, alongside rolling power outages that have become a regular feature of daily life.
The situation is being compounded by the island’s dependence on Venezuelan oil supplies, which officials warn could dry up within weeks. Washington is now seeking to block any additional Venezuelan crude from reaching Cuba as a way to further strain the government’s ability to function.
Senior U.S. officials told the Journal that the operation that led to Maduro’s capture — and the leverage it gave Washington in extracting concessions from Caracas — is being studied closely as a possible model for dealing with Havana.
That Jan. 3 mission, which resulted in Maduro’s arrest, succeeded in part because of assistance from someone inside his inner circle, officials said.
In hopes of finding a comparable opening in Cuba, Trump administration officials have been holding discussions with Cuban exile leaders and civic organizations in Miami and Washington, according to the report.
At the same time, the administration is considering escalating pressure on the Cuban government while offering a negotiated exit path for senior figures, including 94-year-old Raúl Castro, brother of the late Fidel Castro, and current President Miguel Díaz-Canel.
President Trump has already publicly signaled to Havana that patience is running out and urged the leadership to come to terms with Washington.
“THERE WILL BE NO MORE OIL OR MONEY GOING TO CUBA – ZERO!” Trump wrote in a Jan. 11 post on Truth Social.
“I strongly suggest they make a deal, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE,” he added.
{Matzav.com}
