US President Donald Trump stated that his country might consider a 'friendly takeover of Cuba.' 'They have nothing right now, but they are talking to us, and perhaps we will have a friendly takeover of Cuba. Right now, it's a nation in serious trouble, and they want our help,' he declared. These remarks come amid tensions between Washington and Havana over the oil blockade imposed on the island. The tension escalated this week after Cuban authorities opened fire on a boat from Florida that allegedly violated its territorial waters, killing four crew members. At least one of the four dead and one of the six injured were US citizens, while the rest may be legal permanent residents. In January, following the attack on Venezuela in which Nicolás Maduro, an ally of Havana, was captured, Cuba lost access to Venezuelan oil, and Trump ordered the imposition of tariffs on countries supplying crude to the island, aggravating the worst economic and social crisis the country has faced since 1959. However, last Wednesday, the US government eased the oil blockade on Cuba and authorized the re-export of Venezuelan crude to the island, with certain restrictions and through the private sector.
