ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE, Feb 17, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - President Donald Trump on Monday said Cuba was a "failed nation" and called on Havana to make a deal with the United States, though he dismissed mounting a regime change operation.

"Cuba is right now, a failed nation," the US leader told reporters aboard Air Force One.

However, when asked if the United States would oust Cuba's government, as Washington did when it raided Venezuela and captured president Nicolas Maduro, Trump said: "I don't think that will be necessary."

The island is facing major fuel shortages and blackouts as Trump intensifies the decades-long US embargo on the country and presses other countries to stop sending Havana oil.

"It's a humanitarian threat," Trump admitted of the fuel shortages biting the country.