U.S. president Donald Trump urged Cuba on Sunday, January 11th to “make a deal” soon, pledging to cut off all oil and money flowing to the Communist-run island after the toppling of Havana’s key ally, Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.
The threatening social media post drew an angry retort from Cuba’s President Miguel Díaz-Canel, who said “no one” would tell his country what to do.
Washington has imposed economy-crippling sanctions on its island neighbor for decades, but Trump has ramped up the pressure in recent days.
U.S. special forces seized Maduro and his wife this month in a lightning raid that left dozens of the ousted Venezuelan president’s security personnel dead—many of whom were Cuban.
Though Maduro’s allies have become interim leaders, Trump has claimed the United States now actually controls Venezuela, through a U.S. naval blockade of its vital oil sector.
“THERE WILL BE NO MORE OIL OR MONEY GOING TO CUBA—ZERO!” Trump said on Sunday morning on his Truth Social platform. “I strongly suggest they make a deal, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE,” adding
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!
Most of those Cubans are DEAD from last week’s U.S.A. attack, and Venezuela doesn’t need protection anymore from the thugs and extortionists who held them hostage for so many years.
Trump provided almost no details about what potential deal he referred to, or what such an arrangement would achieve.
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