US President Donald Trump believes he will have the honor of taking Cuba.
He told reporters at the White House on Monday.
- You know, my whole life I've heard about the United States and Cuba. When is the United States going to do it?, Trump asks rhetorically.
- I believe I will have the honor of taking ("taking", ed.) Cuba.
- If I liberate it, take it - I believe I can do whatever I want with it. Do you want to know the truth? It's a very weakened nation right now, says Trump.
It is not clear exactly what the president means by the statement.
Close ties to Russia
Trump has previously said that he would like to see a regime change in Cuba.
The communist authorities in Cuba have been on the opposite side of the United States for seven decades. Cuba has close ties to Russia, among others.
However, the eastern state has come under massive pressure from the Trump administration, which is determined to make history.
After the US military captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro at the beginning of the year, Trump has imposed a blockade on Venezuelan oil supplies to Cuba. Venezuela was Cuba's closest ally.
He has also threatened to impose tariffs on goods from countries that sell oil to Cuba.
The US blockade has left millions without power
Cuba's electricity grid is already old and worn out, and it is not unusual for power outages to last up to 20 hours a day in parts of the country.
However, the US oil blockade has worsened the energy crisis, leaving millions of Cuba's 11 million people without power.
Cuba has not imported oil since January 9, which has led airlines to limit flights to the country. This is a severe blow to Cuba's vital tourism sector.
Cuba: We are negotiating with the US
A meeting between Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel and several senior Cuban officials was broadcast live on television on Friday. Here, Diaz-Canel said that Cuba was negotiating with the United States, but did not reveal what the two nations were talking about.
Four unnamed sources with knowledge of the matter told The New York Times on Tuesday night Danish time that officials from the Trump administration on Friday asked their Cuban counterparts to oust the country's president, Miguel Diaz-Canel.
Trump has stated in recent weeks that Cuba is on the verge of collapse and that the country would like to make a deal with the United States.
He also said on Sunday that a deal with Cuba could be made when the war in Iran is over.
/ritzau/AFP
