The country Donald Trump plans to strike next – Not Greenland or Colombia | World | News
Donald Trump has issued a stern new warning to Cuba, declaring that the island nation, long a close ally of ousted Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, is now isolated and vulnerable following the dramatic US-led operation that removed Maduro from power. In a series of fiery social media posts from Mar-a-Lago over the weekend, Mr. Trump emphasized that Cuba would no longer receive the vital oil shipments and financial support it once relied on from Venezuela.
Mr. Trump wrote: “Cuba has lived on Venezuelan oil and money for a long time, offering security in return. BUT NOT ANYMORE! THERE WILL BE NO MORE OIL OR MONEY GOING TO CUBA – ZERO!” Mr Trump called on Cuban leaders to “make a deal BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE”, without specifying the terms of any potential deal. His comments came amid reports that US forces continue to intercept tankers involved in Venezuelan oil exports, effectively strangling the lifeline that has kept the Cuban economy afloat for years.
For more than six decades, Cuba has occupied a unique and controversial place in American foreign policy. The 1959 Cuban Revolution brought Fidel Castro to power and paved the way for a communist government that quickly aligned itself with the Soviet Union.
Tensions culminated in 1961 with the failed CIA-backed Bay of Pigs invasion by Cuban exiles to overthrow Castro, an attempt that ended in US humiliation.
The following year, the world came closest to nuclear war during the Cuban Missile Crisis, when Soviet missiles were discovered on the island and a 13-day naval blockade was initiated by President John F. Kennedy.
The crisis was resolved only after intense negotiations, with the Soviets removing the missiles in exchange for a US commitment not to invade Cuba and a secret withdrawal of American missiles from Türkiye.
Since then, the United States has continued to impose a comprehensive economic embargo against Cuba – known on the island as a “blockade” – which Havana has repeatedly denounced as the root cause of economic distress. These historical grievances continue to shape the deep mistrust between Washington and Havana; It’s a distrust that Mr. Trump’s latest rhetoric is determined to exploit.
The background remains plain. US military action in Caracas last weekend resulted in the capture of Maduro, and the Venezuelan leader now faces charges in New York.
The Cuban government reported that 32 military and security personnel were killed during the operation. These men, selected from Cuba’s main security agencies, were assigned to the Venezuelan capital as part of a bilateral agreement that provided protection and intelligence support in exchange for discounted oil.
Mr. Trump stated without regret: “Venezuela no longer needs protection from the bandits and usurpers who have held them hostage for years. Venezuela now has the United States of America, the strongest military in the world (by far!) to protect them, and we will protect them.”
Responding sharply to a social media suggestion that Secretary of State Marco Rubio could become Cuba’s president, Mr Trump added: “Sounds good!”
Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel immediately responded to X, accusing “those who turn everything into business, even human life”, as lacking the moral authority to criticize his country.
President Diaz-Canel defended Cuba’s revolutionary model and blamed “draconian measures” imposed by the United States for the island’s severe economic woes, such as widespread power outages, fuel queues and empty supermarket shelves; These problems had already deepened Cuba’s worst crisis in the years before Maduro’s fall.
The Cuban government has long claimed that US sanctions have caused massive damage, estimating losses to exceed £5.6 billion ($7.5 billion) between March 2024 and February 2025 alone. Analysts warn that power outages and shortages could intensify as Venezuelan oil cuts off, fueling unrest on the island.
Mr. Trump had previously predicted Cuba’s economic collapse, stating plainly: “It’s falling. It’s falling.” Although he has mused about other potential targets in the region, from Colombia’s drug problems to the strategic value of Greenland, his recent broadsides single out Cuba as a direct focus, depicting it as a regime on the brink with its primary benefactor now neutralized.
As tensions rise, the question in Havana is whether economic pressure alone will be enough, or whether Mr. Trump’s aggressive rhetoric points to something more direct. For now, Cuba is warned: With Venezuelan support waning and American forces emboldened, the clock may be ticking faster than ever.
