President Donald Trump said Monday that the United States could “take over” Cuba, as the island grapples with a nationwide power outage triggered by the collapse of its electrical grid amid an ongoing U.S.-imposed oil blockade.

Speaking at the White House, Trump suggested the U.S. could assume control of the country, describing Cuba as “a very weakened nation right now.” He did not clarify whether his remarks reflected a formal policy proposal.

There was no immediate response from Cuban authorities.

The comments come as Cuba faces a widespread blackout affecting its population of roughly 10 million people. The state-run utility Unión Nacional Eléctrica (UNE) said the outage was caused by a “complete shutdown of the national grid,” leaving the country without power. Officials said efforts are underway to restore electricity.

The Cuban Ministry of Energy and Mines confirmed a total disconnection of the electrical system and said investigations are ongoing. Authorities noted that the grid failure did not appear to stem from malfunctioning generation units that were operating at the time.

State media later reported that electricity had been partially restored to about 5% of residents in Havana, including several hospitals. Officials said priority would next be given to restoring communications infrastructure, though they warned that the fragile system could experience further outages.

The blackout marks the third major nationwide power failure in Cuba in the past four months. The country’s aging energy infrastructure has deteriorated significantly in recent years, leading to frequent outages.

Cuban officials have also blamed the crisis on U.S. sanctions targeting the country’s energy supply. Earlier this year, Trump warned of tariffs against nations that sell or provide oil to Cuba, further tightening pressure on the island’s already strained power system.