Trump Warns Cuba: Make a Deal Before It’s Too Late
Trump warns Cuba to strike a deal as Venezuelan oil supply is cut off, escalating US pressure and fueling a deepening energy crisis in the Caribbean.
Donald Trump has told Cuba to "make a deal" or face the consequences, warning that the flow of oil and money from Venezuela will now stop.
The US president's attention has been focused on Cuba since January 3, when US forces reportedly captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro in a raid in Caracas, the Venezuelan capital.
Venezuela, a long-time ally of Cuba, is believed to send the island nation approximately 35,000 barrels of oil per day.
Cuba's foreign minister responded by saying his country has the right to import fuel "without interference," while its president stated: "No one is going to tell us what to do."
The Trump administration's strategy of seizing Venezuelan oil tankers under sanctions has exacerbated fuel and electricity shortages in Cuba.
On Friday, it seized a fifth oil tanker, which it said was carrying sanctioned oil from Venezuela.
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"Cuba has lived off of massive amounts of oil and money from Venezuela for many years. In return, Cuba provided 'security services' to the last two Venezuelan dictators, but no more!" Trump posted on Truth Social on Sunday.
"No more oil or money will go to Cuba – ZERO! I advise them to make a deal before it's too late."
Trump did not elaborate on the terms of the deal or the consequences Cuba might face.
But Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez said the Caribbean island nation has every right to import fuel from any willing exporter "without interference or being subjected to unilateral coercive measures by the United States."
He added that, unlike the US, Cuba does not allow itself to be used for "blackmail or military pressure against other countries." Trump also mentioned the raid to capture Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, who now face drug trafficking and other charges in the United States.
Cuba has provided Maduro with personal security for years. The Cuban government said that 32 of its citizens were killed during the American operation in Caracas, the Venezuelan capital. Trump said: “Most of the Cubans were killed in the American attack last week, and Venezuela no longer needs protection from the thugs and extortionists who have held them hostage for so many years.
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“Venezuela now has the United States of America, the most powerful military in the world (by far!), to protect them, and we will protect them.”
Rodriguez said that Cuba has “never received any monetary or material compensation for security services provided to any country.”
While the Trump administration has not outlined a clear plan for Cuba, the US president previously said that military intervention was unnecessary because the country was “ready to fall.”
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo hinted last week that Cuban leaders should be worried, saying that if he were in the Cuban government, he would be “concerned” and that “they are in very big trouble.”
On Sunday, Trump also reposted a message on social media suggesting that Rubio – a Cuban-American former Florida senator and the son of Cuban exiles – could become president of Cuba.
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Trump has framed US foreign policy through the lens of the 1823 “Monroe Doctrine,” which promises American dominance in the Western Hemisphere – rebranding it as the “Donroe Doctrine.”
In recent months, US foreign policy has become increasingly focused on Latin America and leftist leaders with whom it has ideological differences, and US actions have been justified as fighting drug trafficking.
Following the unprecedented raid on Caracas, Trump said that a military operation targeting Colombia “sounds good” and has repeatedly told its president, Gustavo Petro, to “save your life.” The US sanctioned Petro – Colombia’s first leftist leader – in October. He imposed sanctions, saying they were allowing drug cartels to "flourish."
Trump has also said that drugs are coming into the US "in massive quantities" through Mexico, and stated that "we have to do something." The US president has offered to send American troops to Mexico to fight the cartels, but President Claudia Sheinbaum has publicly rejected any US military action on Mexican soil.
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The US and Cuba have had strained relations since 1959, when Communist Fidel Castro overthrew the US-backed government.
Although steps were taken to improve diplomatic relations, particularly under former US President Barack Obama, the Trump administration reversed many of these decisions.
Shortly after taking office for his second term, Trump relisted Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism, a designation that had been removed just days earlier by then-President Joe Biden.
Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel said on Sunday: "Those who turn everything, even human life, into a business have no moral right to point the finger at Cuba for anything, absolutely anything.
"Those who today hysterically rail against our nation do so out of rage over the sovereign decision of this people to choose their political model."
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