Politics
In negotiations, U.S. should demand Russia’s exit from the Americas
The United States stands at a pivotal moment in its foreign policy, one that demands boldness and clarity. Russia’s malign influence in the Americas poses a direct threat to U.S. national security and regional stability, through military collusion with U.S. adversaries, strategic economic coercion, and subversive political interference.
As the meeting between Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin takes U.S. negotiations with Russia into a new phase, Trump can seize this opportunity to demand Russia’s complete withdrawal from the Western Hemisphere. The Monroe Doctrine remains a guiding principle: no foreign power should hold sway in our backyard.
Russia’s footprint in the Americas is neither benign nor trivial.
In Venezuela, Moscow has propped up the Nicolás Maduro regime with arms, advisors, and economic lifelines, working closely with this dictatorship to destabilize the region through weaponized migration and narco-trafficking. Russian military personnel and Wagner Group operatives have been reported in Caracas, training local forces and securing oil interests.
In Cuba, Russia has revived Cold War-era ties, modernizing military facilities and deploying naval assets, including nuclear-capable submarines, as a provocative signal to Washington. Thousands of Cuban troops are serving with Russia on the frontlines of the invasion of Ukraine. Russian military advisors are now discussing the deployment of nuclear-capable missiles to Cuba and Venezuela. Nicaragua hosts Russian military advisers and equipment, while Moscow’s disinformation campaigns amplify anti-American sentiment across Latin America.
Moreover, Russia can exploit its presence in Venezuela, Cuba, and Nicaragua to disrupt the Panama Canal and threaten access to the Gulf of Mexico, jeopardizing U.S. energy supply chains and trade routes. These moves are not mere opportunism; they are calculated efforts to erode U.S. influence and create strategic pressure points close to American borders.
The stakes are high. Russia’s presence emboldens authoritarian regimes, bolsters narco-terrorist militias, undermines democratic governments, and threatens regional security. Venezuela’s collapse into tyranny has driven millions of refugees into neighboring countries, straining economies and fueling instability.
Cuba’s dictatorship, emboldened by Russian support, continues to suppress dissent, incite subversion abroad, and export authoritarian methods. It played a key role in fomenting Venezuela’s plunge into tyranny and controls the nation’s military counterintelligence. Nicaragua’s Daniel Ortega regime, backed by Moscow, has escalated repression while aligning with China and Iran, forming an axis of anti-American actors. Allowing Russia to maintain this foothold risks weakening U.S. credibility, emboldening adversaries, and fracturing our hemisphere.
Negotiations with Russia, which cover Ukraine, nuclear arms, natural resources, and global security, offer a critical leverage point. The U.S. must make Russia’s exit from the Americas a non-negotiable demand. Russia’s actions in the Americas are a direct affront to U.S. interests, and any deal that ignores this reality is incomplete. Trump should articulate a clear precondition in his meeting with Putin: no sanctions relief, no diplomatic concessions, and no adjustments of U.S. policy unless Russia fully withdraws its military, intelligence, and proxy presence from Venezuela, Cuba, and Nicaragua.
By linking Russia’s presence in our hemisphere to broader negotiations, Washington can force Moscow to weigh the costs of its regional ambitions against its core interests elsewhere.
Public opinion supports a strong defense of national interests. A rollback of Russian encroachment would resonate with voters as a geopolitical victory and an exercise of American strength. It would also signal to our neighbors in Latin America that the U.S. is committed to defending its interests and eliminating threats in our region.
In negotiations, Trump should make it clear to Putin: Russia’s presence in the Americas is a red line. The moment is ripe for Trump to build a lasting legacy that strengthens U.S. leadership and secures our hemisphere. He should seize it.
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Armando Ibarra is a public policy adviser, Director at the Foundation for Pan-American Democracy, and Founder of Advocacy + Insights.
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Republicans don’t want to vote for Gov. Ron DeSantis.
But they think others might.
That’s the takeaway from the latest Yale Youth Poll, which shows both Gov. Ron DeSantis and Secretary of State Marco Rubio mired in the mid single digits at 6% and 5%, respectively, far behind the 51% backing Vice President JD Vance for first-choice support.
But when the survey asked respondents who is more “electable,” the Governor and the nation’s leading diplomat are in better shape.
“In a MaxDiff test, Republicans viewed DeSantis (79%) and Vance (75%) as the most electable against a hypothetical Democrat in a General Election, followed by Rubio (71%) and Donald Trump Jr. (67%); results did not differ significantly between younger Republicans and all Republicans,” Yale notes.
The result here, particularly for DeSantis, could bolster the hopes of those who want him to run to succeed term-limited Donald Trump in 2028.
The Governor keeps getting that question from reporters but tells them he’s not looking, saying he has his “hands full” and that he’s “not thinking about anything” regarding his next political move.
Rubio is also an also-ran in the polls, compared to Vance.
However, President Donald Trump seems to think Rubio and Vance would be a functional ticket, one that could clear the still-evolving field of his potential successors.
“I’m not sure if anybody would run against those two. I think if they formed a group, it would be unstoppable,” the President said, according to POLITICO Playbook.
Disney is suing over what it calls “excessive” property tax assessments for its four theme parks, the failed Star Wars hotel and a slew of other properties from the company’s vast real estate portfolio in Orange County.
The multibillion-dollar entertainment giant filed about 15 lawsuits late last week in Orange Circuit Court.
Disney wants to cancel the original 2025 tax bills, be issued new ones for reassessed amounts, then get reimbursed for its legal fees for contesting the property taxes. The Mouse is also asking the court to award “general relief as may be just and equitable,” according to the complaints.
The lawsuits accused Orange County Property Appraiser Amy Mercado’s Office of failing to use “professionally accepted appraisal practices,” although Disney’s complaints don’t provide details about its allegations.
“The assessments do not represent the just value of the Subject Property as of the lien date because they exceed the market value and therefore violates article VII, section 4 of the Florida Constitution,” the lawsuits said.
Disney has sued regularly over its property taxes for years. This time, however, the lawsuits come as state leaders are actively pushing to repeal or lower property taxes for residents.
Some state lawmakers are concerned about senior citizens and average Floridians struggling to afford their property taxes — although so far, officials aren’t specifically advocating for Disney to save money on its property tax bills in the ongoing debate for property tax relief.
The Walt Disney Co. is the most successful theme park operator in the world. Orlando’s Magic Kingdom is the crown jewel as the No. 1 most popular theme park on the planet, with an estimated 17.8 million visitors last year.
The Orange County Tax Collector did not immediately respond to questions from Florida Politics about how much Disney pays in property taxes or provide a breakdown of how much of that money funds local government, schools and the library system.
Disney said Magic Kingdom’s assessed value was at about $622 million, with Epcot at $795 million, Hollywood Studios at $639 million and Animal Kingdom at $495 million.
The site of the ill-fated Star Wars: Galactic Cruiser hotel was assessed at $38 million this year. Disney plans to turn the property into offices for Imagineers after the company shut down the hotel in 2023.
Other hotels being litigated over include the Grand Floridian Resort, accessed at $333 million, the Contemporary, at $243 million, and Coronado Springs, at $350 million.
Disney also did not immediately respond to requests for comment Monday for this story.
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