US President Donald Trump has called on Cuba to “make a deal” or face consequences, warning that the flow of Venezuelan oil and money would cease.
Trump turned his attention to Cuba after US forces seized Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro in a 3 January raid on its capital, Caracas.
Venezuela which is a long-standing ally of Cuba is reported to send around 35,000 barrels of oil a day to the Caribbean island.
Cuba’s foreign minister responded by saying his nation retained the right to import fuel “without interference.”
The Trump administration’s confiscation of sanctioned Venezuelan oil tankers has already worsened a fuel and electricity crisis in Cuba.
On Friday, the US captured a fifth oil tanker kit claimed was transporting sanctioned oil from Venezuela.
“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!” said Trump in a post on Truth Social on Sunday.
“THERE WILL BE NO MORE OIL OR MONEY GOING TO CUBA – ZERO! I strongly suggest they make a deal, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE.”
However, Cuban foreign minister Bruno Rodriguez said the Caribbean island nation had “the absolute right to import fuel” from any willing exporter “without interference or subordination to the unilateral coercive measures of the United States”.
