Trump is betting on an agreement for regime change in Cuba and rules out military action

The president of the United States, Donald Trump, indicated this Saturday that he believes that the United States and Cuba will reach an agreement for a regime change and specified that he does not believe that military action is necessary. The Republican president's statement comes after CBS reported this week on the possibility of US military action in Cuba.

“I would say that Cuba and we will reach an agreement,” Trump told reporters at the White House before embarking on a trip to Tennessee to participate in a campaign event ahead of the midterm elections that will be held on November 3.

"Cuba is in a very difficult situation. We want to help Cuba. We want to open the doors of Cuba to our people," he said. “We have great Cuban-Americans who want to return,” he added to journalists in the traditional meeting he holds before boarding Marine One, the presidential helicopter, which takes him to the Andrews military base to then fly on Air Force One.

The CBS network assured this week that a United States Army Reserve asked lower commands for information about their availability to support the Southern Command in a plan that the news channel linked directly to Cuba even though the document does not specifically mention the island. EL PAÍS has not been able to verify CBS's information. When asked by this newspaper, the Southern Command responded that it will not disclose any information about operational movements or possible deployment deadlines for security reasons.

The possibility that Trump orders a US military operation on the island has been hovering over Washington for some time with more or less intensity. After the complications of the federal Administration with the war against Iran, many believe that option is remote.

The congressman for Florida, Mario Díaz-Balart, stated this week in an interview with Jorge Ramos for EL PAÍS: “I think that after Iran comes Cuba.”

The United States has maintained a trade blockade on the island since the beginning of the year, preventing access to oil and many other supplies. The situation in the Latin American country, which has seen almost a third of its population emigrate in the last decade, is critical. It is suffering a humanitarian crisis, without energy to power hospitals, schools or factories to produce food.

Washington is pushing for regime change on the island and has held covert talks with some of the leaders, but without much progress.