Trump Administration Seeks to Remove Cuba’s President From Power During Negotiations

The Trump administration has demanded that Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel step down as a precondition for meaningful progress in bilateral negotiations between the United States and Cuba. According to people familiar with the talks, U.S. officials have made Díaz-Canel's removal a central requirement for advancing diplomatic discussions. The demand represents a significant escalation in U.S.-Cuba relations and a departure from traditional diplomatic norms, where regime change demands are rarely explicit conditions for negotiations. Cuba has maintained a one-party communist system since 1959, with Díaz-Canel serving as president since 2018 after succeeding Raúl Castro. The ultimatum effectively puts any potential diplomatic breakthrough on hold unless Cuba agrees to a fundamental change in its leadership structure.