Cuba has protested after Trump said the island would not receive Venezuelan oil or money

By Dave Sherwood and Mariana Parraga

HAVANA/HOUSTON, Jan 11 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday that no Venezuelan oil or money would go to Cuba and that the communist-run island must make a deal with Washington, ratcheting up pressure on a longtime U.S. nemesis and suggesting words of defiance from the island’s leadership.

Venezuela is Cuba’s biggest oil supplier, but no cargo has gone to the Caribbean country from Venezuelan ports since Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was captured by the U.S. military in early January amid a tough U.S. oil embargo on the OPEC nation, shipping data show.

Meanwhile, Caracas and Washington are making progress on a $2 billion deal to supply the U.S. with 50 million barrels of Venezuelan oil to be deposited into U.S. Treasury-supervised accounts, a major test of the budding relationship between Trump and Interim President Delsea Rodriguez.

Trump wrote on his Truth social platform on Sunday, “No more oil or money going to Cuba – ZERO! I strongly suggest they make a deal before it’s too late.”

“Cuba survived for many years on large amounts of oil and money from Venezuela,” Trump added.

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel rejected Trump’s threats on social media, saying the U.S. had no moral authority to force a deal on Cuba.

“Cuba is a free, independent and sovereign nation. No one dictates what we do,” Diaz-Canel told X. “Cuba will not invade; it has been invaded by the United States for 66 years, and it does not threaten; it is ready to defend the homeland to the last drop of blood.”

The US president did not elaborate on his proposed deal.

But Trump’s pressure on Cuba represents the latest escalation in his moves to align regional powers with the United States and underscores the seriousness of the administration’s ambitions to dominate the Western Hemisphere.

Top Trump officials, including US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, have made no secret that they expect the recent US intervention in Venezuela to push Cuba over the edge.

US officials have toughened their rhetoric against Cuba in recent weeks, even though the two countries have been at loggerheads since the 1959 revolution of former leader Fidel Castro.

Cuba protects import rights

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez said in another post on Sunday X that Cuba has the right to import fuel from any supplier that is willing to export. He also denied that Cuba had received financial or other “material” compensation in exchange for security services rendered to any country.

32 members of Cuba’s armed forces and intelligence services were killed in a US attack on Venezuela. Cuba said those killed were responsible for “security and defense” but did not detail the arrangement between the two longtime allies.

Cuba relies mainly on crude oil and fuel supplied by Venezuela and Mexico, which are purchased on the open market to power generators and vehicles.

Venezuela’s supply of crude oil and fuel to Cuba has declined in recent years as its operational refining capacity has declined. But the South American country is still the biggest provider, with about 26,500 barrels a day exported last year, according to ship-tracking data and internal documents from state-run PDVSA, which covers about 50% of Cuba’s oil deficit.

Alberto Jimenez, 45, a produce seller in Havana, said Cuba will not back down under Trump’s threat.

“It doesn’t scare me. Not at all. The Cuban people are ready to do anything,” Jimenez said.

For many Cubans, it is hard to imagine a much worse situation. The island’s government is struggling to keep the lights on. Many are living without electricity for most of the day, and even the capital, Havana, has seen its economy crippled by hours-long rolling blackouts.

Shortages of food, fuel and medicine have left Cubans on edge and there has been a record exodus over the past five years, mainly to the United States.

Mexico became a major supplier

Mexico has emerged as an important alternative oil supplier to the island in recent weeks, but supplies are small, according to shipping data.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said last week that her country had not increased supplies, but given recent political events in Venezuela, Mexico had become an “important supplier” of crude oil to Cuba.

US intelligence paints a dire picture of Cuba’s economic and political situation, but its assessment offers no clear support for Trump’s prediction that the island is “poised for collapse”, Reuters reported on Saturday, citing three people familiar with the confidential assessment.

The CIA’s view is that key sectors of the Cuban economy, such as agriculture and tourism, are severely strained by frequent blackouts, trade embargoes and other problems. The potential loss of oil imports and other aid from Venezuela could make governing more difficult for Diaz-Canel.

Havana resident and parking attendant María Elena Sabina, 58, born shortly after Castro took power, said it was time for Cuban leaders to make a change amid so much misery.

“There is no electricity, no gas, no liquid gas. There is nothing here,” said Sabina. “So yes, change is needed, change is needed, and fast.”

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