After Venezuela action, Trump threatens to cut off Cuba’s oil and money, urges deal before it is too late
US President Donald Trump issued a sharp warning to Cuba, threatening a complete halt to oil and financial support unless Havana strikes a deal with Washington. He claimed Cuba had long depended on Venezuela in return for security services and asserted that the US military will now "protect" Venezuela.
New Delhi: US President Donald Trump on Sunday delivered a stark warning to Cuba, urging the Caribbean nation to negotiate with Washington before it is "too late” and asserting that Havana has long depended on Venezuelan support that will now end.
In a forceful post on his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump declared: "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 argued that Cuba had historically survived on Venezuelan resources, writing: "Cuba lived, for many years, on large amounts of OIL and MONEY from Venezuela.”
The president also repeated unverified claims about Cuba’s involvement in recent violence, asserting: "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.”
Trump framed the shift in regional dynamics as part of a broader change in US policy in Latin America, saying that "Venezuela now has the United States of America, the most powerful military in the World (by far!), to protect them, and protect them we will.”
Earlier in the day, the US President shared a screenshot of a post on X by a user called Cliff Smith that read, "Marco Rubio will be President of Cuba” followed by a laughing emoji. Sharing the screenshot, Trump wrote: "Sounds good to me!”
A week after Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was "captured” by US forces, several political prisoners were freed in Venezuela on Saturday, including a leader from opposition figure María Corina Machado’s party, Bloomberg reported.
Reacting to the releases, Trump said: "Venezuela has started the process, in a BIG WAY, of releasing their political prisoners. Thank you! I hope those prisoners will remember how lucky they got that the USA came along and did what had to be done. I HOPE THEY NEVER FORGET! If they do, it will not be good for them.”