U.S. relations with Cuba have been thrown into question following the death of the communist country’s former leader, Fidel Castro, on Friday, and President Obama’s term expiring in January.

Continue Reading Below

In December 2014, Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro, Fidel’s younger brother, announced plans to thaw relations between the two countries. In July of last year, the countries reopened their embassies in each other’s capital cities.

However, President-elect Donald Trump has held a different stance than his predecessor on the relationship between America and the island country. In a tweet Monday, Trump said he would “terminate” the agreement Obama made with Cuba if the country doesn’t “make a better deal” for both Cubans and Americans.

Commenting on the future of U.S. relations with Cuba, Cigar Aficionado’s managing editor, David Savona, said it’s time for a change, and he hopes thawing relations will continue under a President Trump.

If Cuba is unwilling to make a better deal for the Cuban people, the Cuban/American people and the U.S. as a whole, I will terminate deal. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 28, 2016

“Hopefully President-elect Donald Trump will get more out of it, maybe we’ll press for a little bit more in the way of U.S. business down there, more in the way of freedom which is so needed for the Cuban people because they have suffered unfairly over all these years.”

Shortly after Fidel Castro’s rise to power in 1959, U.S. relations with Cuba soured. In 1961, diplomatic relations were severed under the Eisenhower administration, and in 1962, President John F. Kennedy made a trade embargo with the county official.

“The Cuban people have suffered under the Castro government, under the embargo… It needs to change and the embargo has been the way of change for more than 50 years, it’s proved ineffective,” Savona said.