Trump tells Cuba to ‘make a deal, before it is too late’
Donald Trump warned that the flow of oil and money to Venezuela would stop and called on Cuba to “make a deal” or face the consequences.
The US president has been turning his attention to Cuba since US forces captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro in a raid on the Venezuelan capital on January 3.
Venezuela, a long-time ally of Cuba, is believed to be sending about 35,000 barrels of oil a day to the island, but Trump has said this will end.
“For years, Cuba lived on huge amounts of OIL and MONEY from Venezuela. In return, Cuba provided ‘Security Services’ to the last two Venezuelan dictators, BUT NOT ANYMORE!” He posted on Truth Social on Sunday.
“THERE WILL NO LONGER OIL OR MONEY GO TO CUBA – ZERO! I strongly recommend that they make a deal BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE.”
Trump did not specify the terms of the deal or the consequences Cuba might face.
He also touched on the raid to capture Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, who face drug trafficking and other charges in US court.
Cuba had been providing Maduro with personal security details for years. The Cuban government said that 32 of its citizens were killed during the US operation in Caracas, the capital of Venezuela.
Trump said: “Most of the Cubans KILLED in last week’s US strike, and Venezuela no longer needs protection from the thugs and usurpers who have been holding them hostage for years.”
“Venezuela now has the United States, the most powerful army in the world (by far!) to protect them, and we will protect them.”
The Cuban government has yet to respond to Trump’s latest threats, but President Miguel Díaz-Canel has previously said the 32 “brave Cuban warriors” who died in Venezuela would be honored to “fight terrorists wearing imperial uniforms.”
Although the Trump administration has not outlined clear plans for Cuba, the US president has previously said military intervention was unnecessary because the country was “ready to fall.”
Last week, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that Cuban leaders should be worried, saying that he would be “worried” and that “they would be in big trouble” if he was in the Cuban government.
On Sunday, Trump also reposted a message on social media suggesting that Rubio, a Cuban-American former Florida senator and son of Cuban exiles, could be Cuba’s president.
Trump shared this post with the following comment: “Sounds good!”
The Trump administration’s tactic of seizing sanctioned Venezuelan oil tankers has begun to worsen Cuba’s fuel and electricity crisis.
