EXCLUSIVE: Cuba pitches US economic
roadmap as Trump pressures Havana
“So, the U.S. wants to
be engaged in the economic transformation in Cuba? Let's do it,"
the top Cuban diplomat told USA TODAY.
USA TODAY
March 31, 2026Updated April 1, 2026,
9:06 a.m. ET
- Cuba's top diplomat in the U.S. has outlined a
path for closer ties with the Trump administration.
- Ongoing high-level talks are being led by
Secretary of State Marco Rubio following a U.S. oil blockade.
- While Cuba is open to economic cooperation,
officials insist they will not compromise on national sovereignty.
WASHINGTON – Even as U.S.
officials push for regime change in
Cuba, the top Cuban official in the U.S. laid out a roadmap for closer ties
between the two former Cold War foes that could pave the way to business deals
and better relations in an exclusive interview with USA TODAY.
Lianys Torres Rivera, the top
Cuban diplomat, wouldn't reveal any details on the ongoing talks between
Washington and Havana and stressed that Cuba will retain its sovereignty. But
she told USA TODAY that the
island nation is willing to cooperate with the Trump administration on a myriad
of issues and have the U.S. participate in Cuba's economic
reformation.
“There's a huge ... range of
issues that we can discuss with the U.S. that are, we’re pretty
sure, for the benefit of the national interests of the U.S. and the
national interest of Cuba,” Torres Rivera said. “So, the
U.S. wants to be engaged in the economic transformation in
Cuba? Let's do it.”
Other steps, she said, that could
improve relations between the two countries include:
- Easing restrictions under the U.S. embargo on
Cuba that bars Cuba from buying any product made with at least 10% of
U.S. components.
- Trump waiving Title III of the Helms-Burton Act − without
having to ask Congress to overturn the full ban − making it
easier for the U.S. to do business in Cuba.
- Removing Cuba from the State Department’s list of state
sponsors of terrorism. (An action taken by former Presidents Barack
Obama and Joe Biden that was revoked by Trump in both of his terms.)
Torres Rivera’s
comments offered the first glimpse into what Cuba may want in an economic-focused deal between
Washington and Havana that’s been the subject
of closely-held negotiations.
The high-level talks are being
led on the American side by Secretary of
State Marco Rubio and began in
earnest after the U.S. imposed an oil blockade on Cuba two months
ago. Rubio met with the grandson of former Cuban
leader Raul Castro in February. Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel confirmed that talks were
taking place with the U.S. for the first time on Mar. 13.
Over the past few weeks, Trump has
hinted at a bellicose seizure of Cuba, saying “Cuba’s next” and referring
to a “friendly” − or not so friendly − takeover of the island.
Cubastroika: Inside Trump plan to save Cuba's economy and win control
Comments by Torres Rivera and other
Cuban officials point to a willingness by the Cuban government to reform
economically and expand business ties with the U.S.
In a Mar. 29 interview with Al Jazeera, Josefina Vidal, Cuba’s
deputy foreign minister, reiterated that Cuba will not compromise on its
sovereignty – while hinting at a possible economic agreement with the U.S.
"We
are ready and willing and open to put on the agenda negotiations with the
United States,” she said. “There are endless possibilities for Cuba and the
United States to work together ... Cuba is open for opportunities."
Rubio told reporters on Mar. 27 that
Cuba would “never be able to develop economically” unless it moved away from
communism. “Giving people economic and political freedom is important, but they
come hand in hand. They come together,” he said.
Torres
Rivera said she would like to see Trump use executive actions to ease certain
sanctions on Cuba, including from the U.S. embargo that was enacted in 1962 as a way to isolate the
communist island. The embargo was codified into law in 1996 through the
Helms-Burton Act.
She also suggested connecting
scientists and law enforcement officials from both countries to work together
on new initiatives — on everything from Alzheimer's drugs to combatting
drug trafficking.
“President Trump has in
his hands the opportunity of setting a relation with Cuba, an
equality in relations between Cuba and the U.S., that
might benefit both countries,” Torres Rivera said. “He can be the
one to do that.”
A senior Trump administration official
declined to comment directly on what Torres Rivera laid out other than to say
it sounded like the regime is getting desperate.
What remains unknown is
what Cuban officials are prepared to concede or
change in exchange for the loosening of
restrictions. Torres Rivera and other Cuban officials have repeatedly said
they're unwilling to surrender their right to govern as they choose.
A senior State Department official
told USA TODAY that the U.S. wants the Cuban regime to make a
deal that would allow the Cuban people to be free and prosperous with the help
of the United States. As
part of any agreement, the regime must make significant changes, including
allowing for privatization of businesses and for the Cuban people to be able to
financially provide for themselves, the official said.
Modifying U.S. sanctions on
Cuba has historically been a tricky political maneuver. Twelve U.S. presidents
over six decades – from John F. Kennedy to President Trump –
have grappled with how to navigate the embargo, the longest-lasting
series of sanctions in U.S. foreign policy history, to varying effect. Cuba
estimates it has lost more than $170 billion in revenue due to
the sanctions since Kennedy implemented them in 1962.
Most countries, including several
top U.S. allies, have formally encouraged America
to end the embargo through their support of an annual
resolution at the United Nations.
In October, the U.N. General Assembly adopted a
non-binding resolution by a vote of 165-7 (with
12 abstentions) calling on the U.S. to end the embargo – marking the
33rd consecutive year a similar resolution
has passed.
Torres Rivera pointed to the U.N.
resolution as evidence that the U.S. is on the wrong side of the
issue.
“Americans are welcome in Cuba. U.S.
companies are welcome in Cuba. Cuban Americans are welcome in Cuba to invest or
to trade,” she said. “Our country would be, the standard of living of
the Cuban people could have been very different...if we could do all of
this.”
Though removing the embargo
wholesale requires a vote by Congress, Trump could
defang many of the sanctions via presidential directives and
executive orders, such as removing Cuba from the State
Department’s terror list, said Robert Muse,
a Washington-based lawyer specializing in American laws relating to
Cuba.
For instance, on Feb. 25, the Trump
administration began allowing U.S. petroleum
products, such as diesel, to be sold directly to Cuba’s private
sector.
“He can do an infinite number of
things,” said Muse, such as loosen travel restrictions to
the island or allow direct interaction with Cuban businesses. “Any
president could leave the embargo on Cuba like a piece of Swiss cheese: all
holes and no cheese.”
Cuba would need to
pass significant economic reform, such as allowing international
investors to hire Cuban workers directly or privatize government-held
entities, such as hotels, before Trump officials would consider easing the
embargo, said Richard Feinberg, a University of California San
Diego professor and author of “Open for Business: Building the
New Cuban Economy.”
Cuban reforms would need to be in
lockstep with the U.S. loosening of the embargo, he
said.
“Who's going to invest in
an island under sanctions?” Feinberg said. “Serious reform on
the island must go hand-in-hand with a serious lifting of the
sanctions.”
Another important step Cuba
could take would be to settle outstanding claims from people and
businesses who allege the Cuban government confiscated their
properties in the 1960s, he said. The U.S. government estimates Cuba owes nearly $2 billion to
some 6,000 companies for properties they nationalized, though
some independent estimates are significantly higher.
In February, the U.S. Supreme Court
heard arguments in two cases in which U.S. companies
are seeking compensation for confiscated properties.
“That would show good faith,” Feinberg
said, “and it would show, ‘Ok, we are serious.’”
Francesca Chambers is a White House
correspondent for USA TODAY covering foreign policy and presidential elections.
You can follow her on X @fran_chambers.
Rick Jervis is a National
Correspondent for USA TODAY's Investigations team based in Austin, Texas.
Follow Jervis on X: @MrRJervis.
Half hour interview by Loraine Newman with Deputy Foreign Minister Josefina Vidal on Al Jazeera. She acknowledges one serious negotiating meeting but offers very little of substance Cuba is not alone, deputy FM says as US threats grow | Politics | Al Jazeera https://www.aljazeera.com/video/talk-to-al-jazeera/2026/3/29/cuba-is-not-alone-deputy-fm-says-as-us-threats-grow 29 Mar 2026
