{"id":206130,"date":"2026-04-01T17:34:40","date_gmt":"2026-04-01T17:34:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/exclusive-cuba-pitches-us-economic-roadmap-as-trump-pressures-havana-usa-today\/"},"modified":"2026-04-01T17:34:40","modified_gmt":"2026-04-01T17:34:40","slug":"exclusive-cuba-pitches-us-economic-roadmap-as-trump-pressures-havana-usa-today","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/exclusive-cuba-pitches-us-economic-roadmap-as-trump-pressures-havana-usa-today\/","title":{"rendered":"EXCLUSIVE: Cuba pitches US economic roadmap as Trump pressures Havana – USA Today"},"content":{"rendered":"

WASHINGTON\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Even as U.S. officials push for regime change<\/a> 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,\u00a0the 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.<\/a>
\u201cThere’s a huge …\u00a0range of issues that we can discuss with the U.S. that\u00a0are,\u00a0we\u2019re pretty sure,\u00a0for the benefit of the national interests of the U.S.\u00a0and the national interest of Cuba,\u201d\u00a0Torres\u00a0Rivera said. \u201cSo,\u00a0the U.S.\u00a0wants\u00a0to be engaged in the economic transformation in Cuba?\u00a0Let’s\u00a0do it.\u201d\u00a0
Other steps, she said, that could improve relations between the two countries include:
Torres\u00a0Rivera\u2019s comments\u00a0offered the first\u00a0glimpse into what Cuba may want in an economic-focused\u00a0deal<\/a> between Washington and Havana\u00a0that\u2019s\u00a0been the\u00a0subject of\u00a0closely-held\u00a0negotiations.
The high-level talks\u00a0are being led\u00a0on the American side\u00a0by Secretary of State\u00a0Marco\u00a0Rubio<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0began in earnest\u00a0after the U.S. imposed an oil blockade on Cuba\u00a0two months ago.\u00a0Rubio\u00a0met with the grandson of\u00a0former Cuban leader\u00a0Raul Castro in February.\u00a0Cuban President Miguel Di\u0301az-Canel\u00a0confirmed that talks<\/a> were taking place with the U.S. for the first time on Mar. 13.\u00a0
Over the past few weeks, Trump has hinted at a bellicose seizure of Cuba, saying \u201cCuba\u2019s next\u201d<\/a> and\u00a0referring to a\u00a0\u201cfriendly\u201d \u2212 or not so friendly \u2212\u00a0takeover\u00a0of the\u00a0island.\u00a0
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,<\/a> Josefina Vidal, Cuba\u2019s deputy foreign minister, reiterated that Cuba will not compromise on its sovereignty \u2013 while hinting at a possible economic agreement with the\u00a0U.S. \u00a0\u00a0
“We are ready and willing and open to put on the agenda negotiations with the United States,\u201d she said. \u201cThere are endless possibilities for Cuba and the United States to work together … Cuba is open for opportunities.”\u00a0
Rubio told reporters\u00a0on Mar. 27<\/a>\u00a0that Cuba would \u201cnever be able to develop economically\u201d unless it moved away from communism. \u201cGiving people economic and political freedom is important, but they come hand in hand. They come together,\u201d he said.\u00a0
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 \u2014 on everything from Alzheimer’s\u00a0drugs to combatting drug trafficking.
\u201cPresident Trump<\/a> has in his\u00a0hands\u00a0the opportunity of setting a relation with Cuba,\u00a0an equality\u00a0in\u00a0relations\u00a0between Cuba and the\u00a0U.S.,\u00a0that might benefit both countries,\u201d Torres Rivera said.\u00a0\u201cHe can be the one\u00a0to\u00a0do that.\u201d\u00a0
A senior Trump administration official declined to comment directly on what Torres Rivera laid out other than to say it sounded like the regime\u00a0is\u00a0getting desperate.\u00a0
What\u00a0remains\u00a0unknown is what\u00a0Cuban officials\u00a0are\u00a0prepared to concede\u00a0or change\u00a0in exchange for the\u00a0loosening\u00a0of restrictions.\u00a0Torres 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\u00a0Cuban\u00a0regime to\u00a0make 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. \u00a0\u00a0
Modifying\u00a0U.S.\u00a0sanctions on Cuba has historically been a tricky political maneuver. Twelve U.S. presidents over six decades \u2013 from John F. Kennedy to President Trump \u2013 have\u00a0grappled\u00a0with 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\u00a0$170 billion\u00a0in\u00a0revenue due to the sanctions since Kennedy implemented them in 1962.\u00a0\u00a0
Most\u00a0countries, including several top U.S. allies,\u00a0have\u00a0formally\u00a0encouraged\u00a0America to\u00a0end the embargo\u00a0through their support<\/a>\u00a0of an\u00a0annual resolution at the United Nations.
In October, the\u00a0U.N. General Assembly\u00a0adopted<\/a>\u00a0a non-binding resolution by a vote of\u00a0165-7 (with 12\u00a0abstentions)\u00a0calling on the U.S. to end the embargo \u2013 marking the 33rd\u00a0consecutive\u00a0year\u00a0a\u00a0similar\u00a0resolution has\u00a0passed. \u00a0\u00a0
Torres Rivera pointed to the U.N. resolution as evidence that the U.S. is on the wrong side of the issue.\u00a0\u00a0
\u201cAmericans are welcome in Cuba. U.S. companies are welcome in Cuba. Cuban Americans are welcome in Cuba to invest or to trade,\u201d she said. \u201cOur country would\u00a0be,\u00a0the standard of living of the Cuban people could have been very different…if we could do all of this.\u201d\u00a0
Though removing the embargo wholesale\u00a0requires a vote by\u00a0Congress, Trump could defang\u00a0many\u00a0of the sanctions via presidential directives\u00a0and executive orders,\u00a0such as removing Cuba from the State Department\u2019s\u00a0terror list,\u00a0said\u00a0Robert Muse, a\u00a0Washington-based lawyer specializing in American laws relating to Cuba.\u00a0
For instance, on Feb. 25, the Trump administration\u00a0began allowing U.S. petroleum products<\/a>,\u00a0such as diesel, to be sold directly to Cuba\u2019s private sector.\u00a0
\u201cHe can do an infinite number of things,\u201d said Muse, such as loosen travel restrictions to the\u00a0island\u00a0or allow direct interaction with Cuban businesses. \u201cAny president could leave the embargo on Cuba like a piece of Swiss cheese: all holes and no cheese.\u201d\u00a0
Cuba would need to pass\u00a0significant\u00a0economic reform, such as allowing\u00a0international investors to hire Cuban workers directly or\u00a0privatize\u00a0government-held entities,\u00a0such as hotels,\u00a0before Trump officials\u00a0would\u00a0consider\u00a0easing\u00a0the embargo, said\u00a0Richard Feinberg, a University of California San Diego\u00a0professor\u00a0and author of\u00a0\u201cOpen for Business: Building the New Cuban Economy.\u201d\u00a0
Cuban reforms\u00a0would need to be in lockstep with\u00a0the\u00a0U.S.\u00a0loosening of the embargo,\u00a0he said.\u00a0\u00a0
\u201cWho’s going to invest in an\u00a0island\u00a0under sanctions?\u201d Feinberg said. \u201cSerious reform on the\u00a0island\u00a0must go hand-in-hand with a serious lifting of the sanctions.\u201d\u00a0
Another\u00a0important step\u00a0Cuba could take would be to settle outstanding claims from people\u00a0and businesses\u00a0who\u00a0allege\u00a0the Cuban government confiscated their properties in the 1960s, he said.\u00a0The\u00a0U.S. government\u00a0estimates Cuba owes\u00a0nearly\u00a0$2 billion<\/a>\u00a0to some\u00a06,000 companies\u00a0for properties they\u00a0nationalized, though some independent estimates are\u00a0significantly\u00a0higher.\u00a0\u00a0
In February, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments in two cases\u00a0in which U.S. companies are\u00a0seeking\u00a0compensation\u00a0for confiscated properties.\u00a0\u00a0
\u201cThat would show good faith,\u201d Feinberg said,\u00a0\u201cand it would show, \u2018Ok, we are serious.\u2019\u201d\u00a0
Francesca Chambers is a White House correspondent for USA TODAY covering foreign policy and presidential elections. You can follow her on X @fran_chambers.<\/em>
Rick Jervis is a National Correspondent for USA TODAY’s Investigations team based in Austin, Texas. Follow Jervis on X: @MrRJervis.<\/em><\/p>\n

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WASHINGTON\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Even 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,\u00a0the top Cuban diplomat, wouldn’t […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":206131,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-206130","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-us","8":"entry"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/206130","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=206130"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/206130\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/206131"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=206130"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=206130"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=206130"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}