The Trump administration has told Cuban negotiators that President Miguel Díaz-Canel must step down for meaningful progress in U.S.-Cuba talks, according to four people familiar with the discussions. The demand represents a symbolic victory for Washington while leaving the Communist government intact, including Castro family members who remain the country's top power brokers.

U.S. officials view Díaz-Canel's removal as a way to enable economic changes that the hard-liner has resisted. The Americans have signaled to Cuban negotiators that the president must go but are leaving the next steps to Havana. This approach aligns with Trump's foreign policy of forcing regime compliance rather than outright regime change.

The demand comes as Cuba faces severe economic crisis, with nationwide blackouts and millions fleeing the country. Díaz-Canel, 65, became Cuba's first non-Castro leader since the 1959 revolution but is widely seen as a figurehead without real power. His formal stewardship during Cuba's economic disintegration made him an obvious target to take the fall.