WASHINGTON, United States — In a stark warning delivered via his Truth Social platform, former U.S. President Donald Trump demanded that Cuban leadership negotiate an agreement with the United States or confront severe repercussions. He declared an immediate and complete cessation of Venezuelan oil and financial resources destined for Havana.
“THERE WILL BE NO MORE OIL OR MONEY GOING TO CUBA – ZERO!” Trump stated emphatically. “I strongly suggest they make a deal, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE.”
This ultimatum follows a dramatic military operation one week prior, where U.S. forces reportedly captured Venezuela’s authoritarian leader Nicolas Maduro in Caracas. The nighttime raid resulted in significant casualties, with dozens of Venezuelan and Cuban security personnel killed.
Earlier that Sunday, Trump amplified a speculative post proposing that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio could assume a leadership role in Cuba. Trump endorsed the idea with a succinct comment: “Sounds good to me!”
In a subsequent detailed post, Trump outlined the historical economic dependency, noting, “Cuba lived, for many years, on large amounts of OIL and MONEY from Venezuela. In return, Cuba provided ‘Security Services’ for the last two Venezuelan dictators, BUT NOT ANYMORE!” He asserted that the recent U.S. action had neutralized this arrangement, stating, “Most of those Cubans are DEAD from last week’s U.S.A. attack, and Venezuela doesn’t need protection anymore.”
This dynamic has been central to Cuba’s economy since 2000. Operating under a stringent U.S. trade embargo, Havana became increasingly reliant on oil shipments from Venezuela, an arrangement originally solidified with the late Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez and continued under Maduro.