U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday the United States could pursue a “friendly takeover” of Cuba, citing the island government’s worsening financial situation as Canada and international agencies continue humanitarian assistance efforts.“The Cuban government is talking with us. They’re in a big deal of trouble, as you know. They have no money, no anything right now,” Trump said Friday afternoon.“Maybe we’ll have a friendly takeover of Cuba. We could very well end up having a friendly takeover of Cuba.”Trump’s remarks come amid mounting economic hardship on the island, including fuel shortages, prolonged power outages and growing difficulty accessing food and health care.Gabriel Lopes, a Brazilian journalist who has lived in Havana for three and a half years and travelled across the country, said daily life reflects a prolonged national emergency affecting much of the population.“The situation is undoubtedly one of crisis,” Lopes said. “For several years, the country has been going through a severe economic crisis.”.He said authorities are attempting to protect vulnerable residents but lack the capacity to fully respond.“There is an enormous effort to try to provide support to the most vulnerable sectors of the population; however, the effective capacities of the state have certainly been diminished as a consequence of the worsening crisis,” he said.Lopes warned shortages of fuel and electricity risk escalating the situation further.“If the energy suffocation continues, we are facing the real possibility of a humanitarian crisis,” he said.He said humanitarian aid from foreign countries helps alleviate immediate suffering but does not address underlying operational shortages affecting hospitals, transportation and food distribution.“Humanitarian aid does not solve the problem that causes there to be no energy for schools, workplaces, and hospitals to function,” he said.Cuba has faced deteriorating conditions driven by energy shortages and infrastructure failures that have limited economic activity and disrupted daily routines across multiple provinces..The political climate between Washington and Havana has also grown tense. Earlier this week, Cuban authorities accused 10 people aboard a U.S.-registered speedboat intercepted near its northern coast of planning “an infiltration with terrorist aims.” Border guards shot and killed four people and injured six others, according to the Cuban interior ministry. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington is investigating the “highly unusual” incident.The confrontation occurred during a period of shifting regional dynamics following the disruption of oil supplies to Cuba after U.S. forces seized Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and halted shipments from his successor.Trump did not outline any specific policy steps accompanying his comments but indicated Washington believes the Cuban government is in a weakened position.Lopes described the moment as precarious as shortages intensified across the country.“We are certainly at a dangerous moment,” he said.
