WASHINGTON.- U.S. President Donald Trump stated this Tuesday that Cuba is "asking for help" and assured that Washington "will talk" with Havana, although without providing further details about the scope of these possible contacts. "No Republican has ever spoken to me about Cuba, a failed country that is only going in one direction: downwards. Cuba is asking for help, and we will talk. In the meantime, I'm going to China," Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Social network. Trump's Truth Social post about Cuba. So far, neither the White House nor the State Department has responded to requests for comment on the president's statements. There was also no immediate reaction from the Cuban government. Trump had already hardened his rhetoric towards Havana in recent months. At the beginning of the year, he even warned that Cuba would be "next" after the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, a long-time ally of the island. Since then, his administration has expanded financial sanctions, strengthened travel and remittance restrictions, and deepened the energy blockade on the Caribbean country. A man rides an electric tricycle from the Vélo Cuba micromobility project in Havana. [e] JOAQUIN HERNANDEZ - Xinhua. The Republican administration has also sought to discourage governments in the region from hiring Cuban doctors, one of Havana's main sources of export revenue. Trump's statements come ahead of his trip to China, where he will meet with President Xi Jinping. Beijing has demanded in recent days that Washington immediately lift the embargo and sanctions against Cuba. Agency Reuters. Cuba. Donald Trump. United States. Other news from Cuba.