Pushing for stability
But the prospect of a destabilised Cuba could have unintended repercussions for the Trump administration.
The recent economic crisis led to an unprecedented exodus from the island in the early 2020s. Approximately 10 percent of Cuba’s population left the island.
A repeat of that mass migration could complicate Trump’s efforts to decrease immigration into the US, according to experts.
Carlos Alzugaray, a political analyst and retired Cuban ambassador, explained that if the Cuban government were to “fall”, the US would have to deal with the consequences — particularly since Cuba lies only 145 kilometres (90 miles) from its shore.
Alzugaray believes that the Trump administration has already adjusted its stance as a result.
He pointed out that Rubio, a hardliner who has advocated for regime change in Cuba, once said he would only come to Havana to negotiate “the fall of the government”.
But Alzugaray has noted a shift. “In recent days, Rubio has introduced a new element when talking about Cuba: stability.”
On January 9, for example, Rubio told a meeting of oil executives that the US does not “have an interest in a destabilised Cuba”.
He indicated it would be the Cuban government’s choice whether to seek prosperity or succumb to “systemic and societal collapse”.
Trump himself has signalled he is open to negotiations, using his social media platform to call on Cuba “to make a deal, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE”.
Still, Cuba’s economic prospects without Venezuela remain unclear, and some residents are preparing for the worst.
One 25-year-old university professor in Havana, who asked to remain anonymous, told Al Jazeera that her family ordered three packages of food and medicine from abroad after they learned of Maduro’s abduction.
They plan to keep the supplies as a precaution, just in case the situation deteriorates.