US President Donald Trump has said no more Venezuelan oil or money will be sent to Cuba and suggested the communist-run island should strike a deal with the US government to increase pressure on America’s longtime nemesis.
Venezuela is Cuba’s biggest oil supplier, but the latest shipping data shows no cargo has left Venezuelan ports for the Caribbean nation since Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was abducted by U.S. forces on January 3 amid a strict U.S. oil blockade against the OPEC member.
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“No oil or money going to Cuba! I strongly suggest a deal before it’s too late,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform on Sunday.
“Cuba has been living on tons of oil and gold from Venezuela for years,” Trump added.
President Trump did not provide details about his proposed deal, but U.S. officials have been increasingly vocal about Cuba in recent weeks.
Earlier on Sunday, President Trump also reposted a message on Truth Social suggesting that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio could become president of communist-ruled Cuba.
President Trump shared the post with the comment, “I think it’s a good thing for me!”
Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel rejected President Trump’s threat in a post on X.
“Cuba is a free, independent and sovereign nation. No one dictates our actions,” Diaz-Canel said.
“Cuba will not attack. We have been attacked by the United States for 66 years, but we will not threaten. We are prepared and ready to defend our homeland to the drop of our blood.”
Earlier, Cuba’s Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez asserted that “rights and justice are on Cuba’s side.”
The United States is “acting like an out-of-control criminal hegemon that threatens not only Cuba and this hemisphere, but the peace and security of the entire world,” Rodriguez wrote on X.
Rodriguez also said in a separate post on X that Cuba has the right to import fuel from any supplier willing to export it. He also denied that Cuba had received any monetary or other “material” compensation in return for security services provided to any country.
Reporting from Cucuta, Colombia, Al Jazeera’s Alessandro Lampietti said that despite the defiant statements, Cuba may struggle to find alternative fuel sources.
“Cuba is facing an extremely difficult situation, including rolling blackouts and regular fuel shortages,” he said.
He added that the US oil embargo could worsen further, putting pressure on Havana to reach an agreement with the US government.
Under a U.S. embargo, Havana has increased its dependence since 2000 on Venezuelan oil, provided as part of an agreement with President Maduro’s predecessor Hugo Chávez.
In recent years, supplies of crude oil and fuel from Venezuela to Cuba have declined as refining capacity has declined. But the South American country remains the biggest supplier, exporting about 26,500 barrels a day last year, according to ship-tracking data and internal documents from Venezuela’s state oil company PDVSA. Venezuela’s shipments covered about 50% of Cuba’s oil shortage.
Cuba also relies on small amounts of crude oil and fuel imports supplied by Mexico.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said last week that although her country is not increasing supplies, given recent political events in Venezuela, Mexico has become an “important supplier” of crude oil to Cuba.
Meanwhile, as President Trump threatens Cuba, Al Jazeera’s Patti Culhane said Americans generally want him to focus on the domestic economy.
“There is a price crisis in this country, food is expensive, housing is expensive, health insurance is rising,” she reported from Washington, D.C.
“This president says he’s going to focus on America First. We’re now seeing him bombing seven countries… So you’re starting to see cracks within[Trump’s]base, because this is not what he promised on the campaign trail,” she added.
