The Global Story - Has Trump pushed Cuba to the brink of collapse?
Download Has Trump pushed Cuba to the brink of collapse?
While still engaged in a war with Iran, Donald Trump’s attention is also on Havana. The US president suggested last week that he expects to soon have the “honour” of “taking Cuba, in some form”. He added “Whether I free it, take it—I think I can do anything I want with it.”
The Trump administration has tightened a longstanding US economic embargo on the Caribbean island, and created a near-total fuel blockade. Cuba was already in the grip of a severe economic crisis, and while a Russian oil tanker has recently reached the island, the blockade has pushed the country to the brink of collapse.
We speak to the BBC’s Will Grant, who has recently returned from the island, to discuss what Trump wants in Cuba, and whether the Cuban Revolution can survive its biggest test in decades.
Producers: Aron Keller and Viv Jones
Executive producer: Penny Murphy
Sound engineer: Travis Evans
Senior news editor: China Collins
Photo: Havana street during a blackout. Credit: Ernesto Mastrascusa/EPA/Shutterstock
Published on Tuesday, 31st March 2026.
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