Trump on Potential 'Venezuela-Style Operation' in Cuba: 'It Could Happen'

U.S. President Donald Trump repeatedly criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, asserting that he could easily prevent Israel's attacks on Lebanon, which have emerged as the biggest variable in implementing the end-of-war memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Iran.

In an interview with the U.S. online media outlet Axios published on June 19 (local time), President Trump responded to a question about whether he could stop Israel's attacks on Lebanon by saying, "Yes, I can. They respect me a lot. They do what I say."

While describing his relationship with Netanyahu—with whom he has clashed multiple times during the end-of-war negotiations over the Lebanon attacks—as still "good," Trump added, "We have to keep him a little bit sane."

Trump emphasized that the most important point of the end-of-war MOU is that "Iran will never have a nuclear weapon. They will absolutely never have a nuclear weapon."

Addressing criticism that the regime change in Iran he mentioned at the beginning of the war had not occurred, Trump said, "We are dealing with the third group (in Iran after the removal of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei). This is regime change," adding, "Khamenei Jr. (Mojtaba) is different from his father."

Trump, who once said "after Iran, it's Cuba's turn," was asked if a potential military operation against Cuba would be carried out similarly to the one in Venezuela earlier this year. He replied, "It's possible. It could happen."

He added, "Venezuela is relatively close, and Cuba is right next door. On the other hand, Iran is very far away."

This is interpreted to mean that a similar operation to the one earlier this year—where Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was arrested and extradited—could be carried out due to Cuba's geographical proximity.

The Donald Trump administration indicted former President Raul Castro (95), the de facto leader of Cuba, last month.

This has sparked speculation that the U.S. might be planning a similar operation in Cuba to the one earlier this year, when Maduro, who was also under U.S. indictment, was arrested under the guise of law enforcement and extradited to New York.

Trump also noted that great national leaders share the traits of being smart and tough, saying, "A very smart person is President Xi Jinping of China."

He continued, "I told President Xi, 'I would really appreciate it if you didn't get involved (in the Iran issue),' and he was great. He didn't get involved." Following Xi, Trump added, "I think Modi (the Prime Minister of India) is very great."

Responding to criticism that he is conciliatory toward Russia, which is in conflict with Western nations over the war in Ukraine, Trump countered, "I am not nice to Russia. I was very tough on Russia. I was also very tough on China. That's why they respect me."

Sharing what he called a previously unknown fact, Trump said that on the first day of the war in Ukraine, a Russian general moved tanks onto rainy farm roads, causing them to get stuck in the mud, where they were ultimately destroyed by Javelin anti-tank missiles he had provided to Ukraine.

He claimed, "If that general had just gone straight down the concrete highway, they would have been in Kyiv (the capital of Ukraine) in four hours. The war would have been over in one day."

The interview took place shortly after Trump returned from attending the Group of Seven (G7) summit in France from June 15–17.

He also asserted that the war in Ukraine would not have broken out if the Group of Eight (G8) framework, which included Russia, had been maintained.

Trump said, "I actually wasn't going to go (to the G7 summit). But he (French President Emmanuel Macron) knew my weakness, because I love the Palace of Versailles."

Regarding his comment "I'm the boss" as he entered the G7 summit venue, Trump explained that it was misunderstood and was just a "cute, fun" joke, adding, "I wasn't trying to be the boss."

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.