\n<\/p>\n
President Donald Trump floated the United States taking control of Cuba after the communist country\u2019s Coast Guard killed four individuals on a boat registered in the state of Florida on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Cuban government is talking with us, and they\u2019re in a big deal of trouble, as you know. They have no money, they have no anything right now, but they\u2019re talking with us, and maybe we\u2019ll have a friendly takeover of Cuba,\u201d the president told reporters Friday, adding that the island nation is in \u201cbig trouble.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know, we have people living here that want to go back to Cuba, and they\u2019re very happy with what\u2019s going on,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n
The boat had Americans on board, according to Axios<\/a>. The Cuban government claims that the \u201cviolating speedboat\u201d was in \u201cterritorial waters.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhen a surface unit of the Border Guard Troops of the Ministry of the Interior, carrying five service members, approached the vessel for identification, the crew of the violating speedboat opened fire on the Cuban personnel, resulting in the injury of the commander of the Cuban vessel,\u201d the Ministry of the Interior stated.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the face of current challenges, Cuba reaffirms its determination to protect its territorial waters, based on the principle that national defense is a fundamental pillar of the Cuban State in safeguarding its sovereignty and ensuring stability in the region,\u201d the statement added, noting that there will be investigations into the incident.<\/p>\n Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez posted to X on Thursday that the country \u201cdoes not attack, nor threaten.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe have stated this on repeated occasions and we reaffirm it today: Cuba will defend itself with determination and firmness against any terrorist and mercenary aggression that seeks to affect its sovereignty and national stability,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said this week that the U.S. has \u201cevery reason to want our own information.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe don\u2019t make decisions in the United States on the basis of what the Cuban authorities are saying,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n The recent incident and the comments from the president come as the country, which is just 90 miles south of Florida, is facing an ongoing energy crisis, Bloomberg<\/a> reported.<\/p>\n The Trump administration has not wavered in flexing the American military\u2019s muscle in the Western Hemisphere, most recently with the capture of Venezuelan dictator Nicol\u00e1s Maduro in January to face narco-terrorism charges in the United States.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n