CARACAS, Venezuela — The Venezuelan government has issued a forceful condemnation of the United States’ latest economic measures targeting nations that engage in energy trade with Cuba. This diplomatic rebuke follows President Donald Trump’s signing of a new tariff order on Thursday, which Caracas characterizes as an aggressive act of economic coercion.
In an official statement released Friday, Venezuela’s foreign ministry decried the US policy as a set of ‘punitive measures’ designed to penalize sovereign states for maintaining ‘legitimate trade relations with the Republic of Cuba.’ The declaration comes amid heightened tensions between Washington and Caracas, following recent political upheavals that saw a change in Venezuela’s leadership through US military involvement.
The South American nation, itself struggling under severe economic sanctions, pledged unwavering ‘solidarity with the Cuban people’ who face potential energy shortages due to the restrictions. Venezuelan oil shipments to Cuba, a longstanding economic lifeline for the island nation, now fall under US regulatory control following recent geopolitical shifts.
Venezuela’s foreign ministry called for ‘collective action by the international community’ to address what it described as the ‘humanitarian consequences’ resulting from such economic aggressions. The statement emphasizes the need for global cooperation to mitigate the impact of unilateral sanctions on civilian populations, positioning the conflict within broader debates about economic sovereignty and international law.