Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel rejects Trump negotiations amid threats

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel announced Monday that his administration is not negotiating with Washington despite President Donald Trump threatening to push Cuba into a deal because it will no longer be supplied with Venezuelan oil.

“There are no meetings with the US government other than technical contacts in the field of migration,” Díaz-Canel said in a post on X.

Díaz-Canel continued to condemn the United States, accusing it of applying hostile pressure on the island, and insisted that negotiations would only take place if they were conducted in accordance with international law.

“As history has shown, for relations between the United States and Cuba to progress, they must be based on international law, not on hostility, threats and economic pressure,” he said.

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“We are always ready to establish a serious and responsible dialogue with the various governments of the United States, including the current government, on the basis of sovereign equality, mutual respect, principles of International Law, mutual benefit without interference in their internal affairs and full respect for our independence,” Canel said. he said.

On Sunday, Trump announced that Cuba would no longer buy oil or money from Venezuela; this was a move that would cut Havana’s long-standing energy and financial lifeline.

The announcement follows a stunning January 3 operation in Venezuela in which American forces captured President Nicolás Maduro and killed at least 32 Cuban personnel.

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President Donald Trump (left) led the military operation that resulted in the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro (right) on January 3. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images; Gaby Oraa/Getty Images)

“THERE WILL NO LONGER OIL OR MONEY GO TO CUBA – ZERO! I strongly recommend that they make a deal BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE.”

Cuba has long relied on imported oil to keep its aging power grid running. Before the US attack on Venezuela, Havana was receiving 35,000 barrels of oil per day from Venezuela, about 7,500 barrels of oil from Russia and around 5,500 barrels per day from Mexico, according to the Associated Press, citing Jorge Piñón of the Energy Institute of the University of Texas at Austin, who tracks the shipments.

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Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel attended a rally in Havana, Cuba, on Saturday, January 3, 2026, in solidarity with Venezuela after the United States captured President Nicolás Maduro and flew him out of Venezuela. (Ramon Espinosa/AP Photo)

Despite importing oil from Venezuela, Cuba has suffered widespread power outages in recent years due to ongoing fuel shortages, an aging and collapsing power grid, and damage from hurricanes that have devastated the island’s infrastructure.

Now the U.S. is tightening sanctions on both Russian and Venezuelan oil, while power outages could worsen as Havana leaders reject Trump’s call for a deal.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.