US President Donald Trump during a press conference. (File photo/ AP) US President Donald Trump has issued a warning to Cuba on Sunday and said that the Caribbean country must strike a deal with the United States “before it’s too late” and suggested that the island nation would no longer receive oil or money.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote, “THERE WILL BE NO MORE OIL OR MONEY GOING TO CUBA – ZERO! I strongly suggest they make a deal, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE.”
Trump said Cuba lived for many years while getting large amounts of money and oil from Venezuela, adding that Cuba, in return, provided “security services for the last two Venezuelan dictators, BUT NOT ANYMORE!”
Trump on US military action
Providing an update regarding last week’s US military’s action in the country, Trump wrote, “Most of those Cubans are DEAD from last weeks USA attack, and Venezuela doesn’t need protection anymore from the thugs and extortionists who held them hostage for so many years.”
The warning comes following Trump administration’s aggressive moves and statements aimed at reshaping dynamics across the Americas. In the past few weeks, Washington has tightened sanctions and seized oil shipments linked to Venezuela after capturing Caracas’ deposed leader Nicolas Maduro.
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Trump also suggested that Venezuela has the backing of US military and it will now “protect them”, giving a potential setback to Cuban economy by announcing that “there will be no more oil and money going to Cuba”.
Cuban economy
Cuba’s biggest oil suppliers is Venezuela, but since the US military captured its leader Nicolas Maduro, Trump has been able to successfully press the interim President Delcy Rodriguez to send Venezuelan oil to the United States.
For the Cuban economy, the halt in supply of Venezuelan oil is devastating. According to shipping data and documents from Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA, Venezuela supplied about 27,000 barrels of oil per day to Cuba, covering roughly 50% of Cuba’s oil deficit.
US intelligence has reported that the Cuban economy is under stress and so is their political arrangement, but the intel reports doesn’t clearly support Trump’s prediction that the island is “ready to fall,” Reuters reported, citing three people familiar with the matter.
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What happened in Venezuela
The US military on January 3 launched an operation to capture Venezuela’s deposed leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores after the American forces carried out several strikes against Venezuelan-linked boats off the Caribbean and Pacific Ocean, which the Trump administration has claimed were carrying drugs.
Other than levelling “narcoterrorism” charges against Maduro, one of the objectives for Washington to launch Operation “Absolute Resolve” was to get Caracas rid of a president who, according to US claim, stole the 2024 Venezuelan elections.
