President Trump [UPI Yonhap News]

Reports have emerged that the Donald Trump administration pressured Cuba, which is facing an energy crisis due to U.S. sanctions, demanding the president step down to resolve the issue.

The U.S. daily New York Times (NYT) reported on the 16th (local time), citing multiple sources with knowledge of the U.S.-Cuba dialogue, that the Trump administration had made the resignation of Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel a condition for progress in negotiations.

The report states that the U.S. pressed Cuba, asserting that no agreement could be reached as long as President Díaz-Canel remained in power.

Furthermore, the U.S. is also said to have demanded the resignation of some high-ranking officials who adhere to the ideology of Fidel Castro, who led the socialist revolution, and the release of political prisoners.

However, it is reported that no measures were demanded against the Castro family, who still hold significant power in Cuba.

The NYT pointed out that these U.S. demands, which involve ousting symbolic figures while leaving the communist regime intact, align with the Trump administration's foreign policy stance of forcing regime compliance rather than outright regime change.

In Venezuela, the U.S. also sought to oust President Nicolás Maduro, but appointed the then-Vice President Delcy Rodríguez as interim president.

The NYT suggested that while such demands might offer the symbolic victory of toppling a leftist leader for the U.S. to boast about, they would be difficult to reconcile with Cuban exiles and Cuban-American lawmakers in the U.S. who desire complete political transformation.

Following the ousting of President Maduro, President Trump has intensified pressure on Cuba, making it his next target.

Cuba, experiencing an unprecedented energy crisis after the U.S. blocked Venezuelan oil exports to the island and pressured countries like Mexico to cease oil transactions, engaged in dialogue with the U.S. on the 13th to resolve the situation.

However, President Trump publicly expressed his intention to "take over" Cuba that day, stating, "We will have the privilege of taking over Cuba."