Trump signals Cuba could follow Venezuela's diplomatic path, says Havana 'wants to talk very badly'
President Donald Trump told Axios in a recent interview that Cuba may be next in line for a diplomatic opening similar to the one his administration has pursued with Venezuela, and that Havana is eager to begin."Cuba wants to talk very badly," Trump said, adding that he plans to deploy Secretary of State Marco Rubio to lead any future discussions with the island's government.
The remarks, first reported by Newsmax, amount to the clearest public signal yet that the administration sees Cuba and Venezuela as linked pieces of a broader Western Hemisphere strategy.
Trump did not spell out what a Cuba initiative would look like or whether formal talks are imminent. But his language, and his choice of envoy, suggests the White House is at least testing the waters.
When asked about next steps, Trump pointed directly to his top diplomat. "We're going to have Marco get involved," he said.
That choice carries weight. Rubio, a Cuban American, has spent years as one of Washington's most vocal critics of the Castro regime and its successors. He has consistently advocated maintaining pressure on Havana and Caracas while supporting democratic opposition movements across the region. Naming him as the point man signals the administration does not intend to offer concessions without conditions.
Rubio is described as one of the administration's most influential voices on Latin American policy. His involvement would give any Cuba opening a hawkish anchor, a negotiator unlikely to trade away leverage for goodwill alone.
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