March 15 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday that the United \u200bStates could soon reach a deal with Cuba or take other action, \u200csignaling that developments in the long-strained relationship may come quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Cuba also wants to make a deal, and I think we will pretty soon either make a deal or do whatever we \u200bhave to do,” Trump said to reporters on Air Force One. “We’re talking \u200bto Cuba, but we’re going to do Iran before Cuba.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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The comments \u2060come as tensions between Washington and Havana remain elevated following years of sanctions, \u200bdiplomatic friction and disputes over migration and security, with regional allies and investors watching \u200bclosely for signs of a policy shift.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cuba’s President Miguel D\u00edaz-Canel said on Friday that the country opened talks with the United States as the island faces one of its most severe economic crises \u200bin decades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“These talks have been aimed at finding solutions through dialogue to the \u200bbilateral differences we have between the two nations,” Diaz-Canel said in a video aired on state \u200ctelevision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Diaz-Canel \u2060said he hoped the negotiations would move the two long-time rivals “away from confrontation.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The country’s economic crisis has been exacerbated by disruptions in imported oil, which the island relies on to run power plants and transportation networks. Fuel shortages have forced authorities \u200bto impose rolling electricity \u200boutages across the \u2060country and limit some public services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Trump in recent weeks had made a series of statements, saying Cuba was on the \u200bverge of collapse or eager to make a deal with \u200bthe United \u2060States. On Monday he said Cuba may be subject to a “friendly takeover,” then added, “it may not be a friendly takeover.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Despite the renewed contact, significant differences remain between the two \u2060governments. \u200bU.S. officials have suggested that any easing of pressure \u200bwould likely depend on political and economic concessions from Havana, while Cuban leaders insist that negotiations must \u200brespect the island\u2019s independence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n