The Trump administration has formally demanded the resignation of Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel as a precondition for any bilateral negotiations. The ultimatum arrives as Cuba faces a complete collapse of its national power grid and severe fuel shortages following a de facto U.S. oil blockade.
U.S. negotiators communicated to Havana that Díaz-Canel must be removed to unlock structural economic reforms. The White House demand arrives as the Trump administration suspends normal diplomatic concessions, leveraging the island’s extreme economic vulnerability to force a political transition.
The diplomatic pressure follows a nationwide blackout on Monday that left all 11 million Cuban residents without electricity. The ongoing infrastructure failures stem from a halt in Venezuelan oil shipments. President Trump severed Cuba’s primary fuel supply in January 2026 following the U.S. military capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.
Facing economic collapse, the Cuban government recently announced plans to open the island’s economy to investments from Cuban nationals living abroad, including exiles in the United States. The prospect of renewed U.S.-Cuba negotiations has generated skepticism among Miami’s Cuban community. Cuban-American activists are actively lobbying President Trump to secure the right of exiles to return to their homeland as part of any diplomatic agreement.
President Trump addressed the situation at the White House on Monday, telling reporters he expects to have “the honor of taking Cuba.”
“Whether I free it, take it – think I could do anything I want with it,” Trump said. “They’re a very weakened nation right now.”
The push for new leadership follows Díaz-Canel’s public confirmation on Friday that his government initiated discreet talks with the U.S. to “find solutions through dialogue to the bilateral differences.”
According to unconfirmed reports, U.S. officials may be quietly courting Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, the 41-year-old grandson of Raúl Castro, as a potential stabilizing figure to manage the government post-transition.