Trump tells Cuba to ‘make a deal before it’s too late’

Donald Trump urged Cuba to “make a deal” or face consequences, warning that the flow of Venezuelan oil and money would now stop.

The US president has turned his attention to Cuba since US forces captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro in a raid on the capital on January 3.

Venezuela, Cuba’s longtime ally, is expected to send about 35,000 barrels of oil per day to the island, but Trump said that would end.

“Cuba lived for many years on large quantities of OIL and SILVER from Venezuela. In exchange, Cuba provided ‘security services’ to the last two Venezuelan dictators, BUT NO MORE!” he posted on Truth Social on Sunday.

“THERE WILL BE NO OIL OR MONEY IN CUBA – ZERO! I strongly suggest they make a deal, BEFORE it is too late.”

Trump did not specify the terms of a deal or the consequences Cuba could face.

He also referenced the raid to arrest Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, who face drug trafficking and other charges in a U.S. court.

Cuba has been providing Maduro with its personal security services for years. The Cuban government said 32 of its nationals were killed during the U.S. operation in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas.

Trump said: “Most of these Cubans are DEAD as a result of last week’s U.S. attack, and Venezuela no longer needs protection from the thugs and extortionists who held them hostage for so many years. »

“Venezuela now has the United States of America, the most powerful military in the world (by far!), to protect it, and we will.”

The Cuban government has yet to respond to Trump’s latest threats, but President Miguel Díaz-Canel previously said the 32 “courageous Cuban fighters” who died in Venezuela would be honored for “confronting terrorists in imperial uniforms.”

Although the Trump administration has not announced clear plans for Cuba, the US president has already said that military intervention is not necessary because the country is “ready to fall.”

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio indicated last week that Cuban leaders should be concerned, saying he would be “worried” if he were part of the Cuban government and that “they have a lot of problems.”

On Sunday, Trump also reposted a message on social media suggesting that Rubio – a former Cuban-American senator from Florida and the son of Cuban exiles – could become president of Cuba.

Trump shared this message with the comment: “Sounds good to me!”

The Trump administration’s tactic of confiscating sanctioned Venezuelan oil tankers has already begun to worsen Cuba’s fuel and electricity crisis.