Donald Trump affirms that Cuba “is asking for help” and will respond with dialogue

The most recent punitive actions include sanctions on the Cuban military conglomerate Gaesa, its directors and a mining company joint venture with the Canadian Sherritt, one of the largest foreign companies present on the island, which shortly before announced the immediate suspension of its activity in Cuba.

This is in addition to the oil blockade on the island imposed last January by Trumpwho said that “will take control” of Cuba “almost immediately” and could move the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln to Caribbean waters.

Both governments are holding negotiations and the only known physical meeting between both parties took place last April, without progress. For now, The talks appear stalled amid increasing antagonistic rhetoric between the two countries.

American media have leaked an alleged list of demands from Washington, with the economy and political prisoners as priorities, which Havana denies.

The US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, advanced last week that they are going to take “more measures” against Cubaas he said during a visit to the Vatican, where the issue of American pressure on the island was on the table.

For its part, The president of Cuba, Miguel Díaz-Canel, has stated that Trump “raises his threats of military aggression against Cuba to a dangerous and unprecedented scale” and that, consequently, “the international community must take note and, together with the people of the United States, determine whether such a drastic criminal act will be permitted.”