‘It’s a failing country… they’re going to be next’: Trump’s chilling warning to Cuba

Washington DC: US President Donald Trump on Sunday warned that Cuba is on the brink of collapse, calling the Caribbean nation a “mess” and predicting it will fail soon.

Speaking to reporters on Air Force One en route to Joint Base Andrews, Trump emphasised that his administration will support Cuban-Americans who were forced out of the island under the regime of Fidel Castro, who led Cuba from 1959 to 2008.

"Yeah, Cuba's going to be next. Cuba's going to be. Cuba's a mess. It's a failing country, and they're going to be next. Within a short period of time, it's going to fail, and we will be there to help it out. We'll be there to help our great Cuban-Americans out who were thrown out of Cuba. In many cases, their family members were mutilated and killed by Castro. Yeah, Cuba's going to be next, yeah," Trump said.

When asked about reports that the US might allow a Russian oil tanker to reach Cuba, Trump said, "Well, we have a tanker out there. We don't mind having somebody get a boatload because they need... they have to survive. Who would... it doesn't bother me. Well, I would say I told them if a country wants to send some oil to Cuba right now, I have no problem with it."

On whether the oil delivery could aid Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump dismissed the concern: "It doesn't help him (Putin). He loses one boatload of oil, that's all it is, it's fine. If he wants to do that and if other countries want to do it, it doesn't bother me much. It's not going to have an impact. Cuba's finished, they have a bad regime, they have very bad and corrupt leadership, and whether or not they get a boat of oil, it's not going to matter. I'd prefer letting it in, whether it's Russia or anybody else, because the people need heat and cooling and all of the other things that you need. Go ahead."

Meanwhile, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel confirmed that former President Raul Castro is participating in early-stage talks with the US, amid growing tensions and ongoing nationwide blackouts caused by an oil blockade imposed during Trump’s tenure, according to Al Jazeera.

The United States Coast Guard has reportedly allowed a Russian government-owned tanker carrying approximately 730,000 barrels of crude oil to proceed toward Cuba, potentially easing the island’s worsening fuel crisis, according to The New York Times. The tanker, located just miles from Cuban waters on Sunday evening, is expected to reach the port of Matanzas by Monday night.