Obama advocates big change for US policy on Cuba in first talks since revolution

US President Barack Obama has issued a statement on live television calling for an end to “unnecessary restrictions” on Cuban citizens.

Above all, he argued that the US and Cuba should work together to create a better future for both countries.

“I do not expect the changes I'm announcing today to bring about a change in Cuban society overnight," he said. “Today we are making these changes because it is the right thing to do.”

The president’s speech comes after his hour-long phone call with Cuba’s President Raul Castro on Tuesday. This marked the first instance of communication between the two countries since the Cuban revolution, White House officials have claimed.

Also on Wednesday, US contractor Alan Gross was released by the Cuban government who held him since 2009. The release was part of a new deal which looks to completely re-write policy between the two states.

It is thought the move will give Obama’s presidential legacy a boost after promising early in his campaign to bring a more engaging foreign policy into effect once elected.