U.S. Pursues $10 Million-Plus Cuba Aid Package as Trump Keeps Military Option Open
Updated
Updated · The Associated Press · May 7
U.S. Pursues $10 Million-Plus Cuba Aid Package as Trump Keeps Military Option Open
12 articles · Updated · The Associated Press · May 7
U.S. officials said Washington is not planning imminent military action against Cuba and is instead pressing Havana to accept a humanitarian package that includes tens of millions of dollars, farm and infrastructure support, and two years of free Starlink access.
Those talks remain tentative because the offer is tied to conditions Cuba has long rejected, including releasing political prisoners, easing political and religious repression, and opening to U.S. private investment.
Thursday’s new sanctions targeted GAESA, the military-run business conglomerate, after Trump expanded penalty authority last week even as one official said the immediate goal is to change policy, not force regime change.
An April 10 U.S. delegation to Havana led by senior State Department officials held what one source called a professional but inconclusive meeting, leaving Washington doubtful Cuba’s leadership will accept even modest reforms.
The outreach unfolds as U.S. officials cite growing Chinese and Russian influence on the island, while Cuban officials denounce the sanctions and aid push as coercive and say internal governance is not negotiable.
Why is Washington secretly negotiating with the head of a Cuban military company it has just sanctioned?
With Russia and China backing Havana, could U.S. pressure on Cuba spark a wider geopolitical conflict in the Caribbean?