Joanna Campos

President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are pushing an economic agreement with the Cuban regime that includes an “off-ramp” —a negotiated exit— to allow the Castro family and President Miguel Díaz-Canel to cede power without forced exile, according to an exclusive report from The Telegraph.

The plan would allow these leaders to remain on the island in exchange for concessions in ports, energy, and tourism, with possible selective relief in sanctions.

The conversations involve Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, grandson of Raúl Castro, who maintains key influence. Rubio, son of Cuban immigrants, leads the high-level negotiations, as confirmed by Trump in public statements.

The president has said that “Cuba is in its final moment of life as it is” and that an agreement will be reached “very easily”.

This pressure intensified after the capture of Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores on January 3, 2026, in Caracas by U.S. forces.

After rejecting offers of exile, they were transferred to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York, facing charges of narcoterrorism and drug trafficking, according to CNN coverage from January 4, 2026. The cutoff of Venezuelan oil shipments caused an energy crisis in Cuba with massive blackouts.

Trump declared at a press conference in Doral, Florida, on March 9, 2026, that the agreement “may be a friendly takeover or not,” but that the regime is “without energy, without money” and in “deep humanitarian problems.” In previous interviews, such as with CNN on March 6, he stated that “Cuba will fall soon” and assigned Rubio to handle the talks.

The approach combines economic force with a realistic offer, contrasting with past policies of engagement without results. Trump emphasized that Cuba “wants to negotiate desperately” after losing allies like Venezuela.

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Via https://gatewayhispanic.com/2026/03/trump-rubio-give-final-offer-castros-diaz-canel/