Washington DC - President Donald Trump said on Thursday he wants to "get Cuba done" before leaving office.
"I want to get Cuba done before I leave," Trump told radio host Hugh Hewitt, who had asked him if he was considering "freeing Cuba" in a military intervention.
"We're watching it very closely. It's doing very poorly. It's essentially a failed place, nation, whatever you want to call it," Trump claimed.
Trump's term in office is due to end in January 2029.
Under Trump's second administration, the US government has launched a devastating fuel blockade and series of sanctions on Cuba, causing a humanitarian emergency in the Caribbean state of 9.4 million people.
Washington has indicated it expects an economic and political change of direction in Cuba and a distancing of the Cuban government from major powers such as China and Russia – in the name of supposed US national security.
Last month, the United Nations General Assembly once again approved a resolution calling for an end to the US embargo on Cuba.