WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� President Donald Trump and America’s top diplomat on Thursday again raised the specter of U.S. military intervention in Cuba, a renewed threat that takes on greater weight a day after the administration against the island’s former leader, Ra煤l Castro.
Trump said previous U.S. presidents have for decades but that 鈥渋t looks like I鈥檒l be the one that does it.鈥�
鈥淥ther presidents have looked at this for 50, 60 years, doing something,鈥� Trump told reporters when asked about Cuba during an environmental event in the Oval Office. 鈥淎nd, it looks like I鈥檒l be the one that does it. So, I would be happy to do it.鈥�
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters separately that Cuba has been a national security threat for years because of its ties to U.S. adversaries and that Trump is intent on addressing it.
Rubio says the US prefers a negotiated agreement with Cuba
Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants who has long taken a hard-line against Cuba鈥檚 socialist leadership, said the Trump administration wants to but is doubtful the U.S. can reach a diplomatic resolution with the island’s current government.
Trump’s 鈥減reference is always a negotiated agreement that鈥檚 peaceful. That鈥檚 always our preference. That remains our preference with Cuba,鈥� Rubio said in Miami before boarding a plane to attend a NATO meeting in Sweden and then visit India.
鈥淚鈥檓 just being honest with you, you know, the likelihood of that happening, given who we鈥檙e dealing with right now, is not high,鈥� he said.
Top Trump aides 鈥� including Rubio, and other senior national security officials 鈥� have met with Cuban officials in recent months to explore possible improvements in relations. But the U.S. side has come away unimpressed from those talks, leading to even more sanctions imposed on the Cuban government in the past week.
Over the years, Cuba has gotten used to 鈥渂uying time and waiting us out,鈥� Rubio said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e not going to be able to wait us out or buy time. We鈥檙e very serious, we鈥檙e very focused.鈥�
When asked whether the U.S. would use force in Cuba to change the island’s political system, Rubio repeated that a diplomatic settlement was preferred but noted that 鈥渢he president always has the option to do whatever it takes to support and protect the national interest.鈥�
He pushed back on a reporter鈥檚 suggestion that it sounded like 鈥渘ation-building,鈥� insisting it was about addressing a national security risk.
New threats follow US announcement of charges against Castro
Federal prosecutors on Wednesday that accuses Castro of ordering the flown by Miami-based exiles. The charges, which were secretly filed by a grand jury in April, included murder and destruction of an airplane.
Cuban President Miguel D铆az-Canel has condemned the indictment as a political stunt that sought only to 鈥渏ustify the folly of a military aggression against Cuba.鈥�
The Castro indictment has led many to believe that the Trump administration is following the same playbook it did when it in a military operation in early January. Maduro, who has been imprisoned in the U.S. since his seizure, faces federal and has pleaded not guilty.
The U.S. military of the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier and accompanying ships to the Caribbean Sea on the same day the charges against Castro were announced. U.S. Southern Command said the ships are taking part in maritime exercises with partners in Latin America that began in March.
Rubio would not discuss how the U.S. might move to implement the indictment against Castro, who turns 95 next month.
Trump has been threatening military action in Cuba ever since ousting Maduro and then ordering an energy blockade that choked off fuel shipments to Cuba. That has led to severe blackouts, and an economic collapse across the island.
Trump has ratcheted up talk of regime change in Cuba after pledging to conduct a if its leadership did not open its economy to American investment and kick out U.S. adversaries.
On Thursday, Rubio said Cuba poses a serious national security threat to America because of its security and intelligence ties with China and Russia and friendly relations with U.S. foes in Latin America.
China opposes U.S. sanctions and pressure on Cuba, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Guo Jiakun, said Thursday.
鈥淐hina firmly supports Cuba in safeguarding its national sovereignty and national dignity and opposes external interference,鈥� Guo added.
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Associated Press writers Simina Mistreanu in Bangkok and Ben Finley in Washington contributed to this report.
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