US President Donald Trump said that Cuba actually has two options for the development of events: to agree to the "friendly" establishment of control by Washington or to face a tougher scenario.
The American leader said this during a conversation with journalists at the White House.
Answering a question about the role of Secretary of State Marco Rubio in the negotiations with Havana, Trump emphasized that he fully trusts him and considers him one of the best diplomats in US history. According to the president, Rubio has an advantage because he speaks Spanish, the language spoken in Cuba.
Commenting on the future of the island, Trump said that the Cuban authorities must agree to the terms of the United States.
"And it may be a friendly takeover. It may not be a friendly takeover. it wouldn't matter because … they have no energy. They have no money. They're in deep trouble on a humanitarian basis," the head of the White House told the journalist.
The American president also said that Washington does not want to see the situation on the island deteriorate further. According to him, the country's serious problems began after its cooperation with Venezuela, which had previously supported Havana financially and supplied energy resources, was terminated.
"But they (the Cuban authorities - ed.) were very very bad to a lot of people, as you know. And a lot of people - the Cuban-American voters who supported me at a record level - are very important. Those people are very important to me. I know I know what they went through. They went through hell," the US President summarized.
Trump also added that he has many acquaintances among Cuban immigrants who have succeeded in business. At the end of the conversation, he reiterated that Havana could agree to a "friendly" version of cooperation or the United States would still take control of the island.
After the US operation in Venezuela earlier this year, Trump has repeatedly stated Washington's interest in increasing its influence in a number of territories, including Colombia, Greenland, Mexico, and Cuba.
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