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


Donald Trump has 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 been turning his attention to Cuba since US forces seized Venezuela’s leader Nicolás Maduro in a 3 January raid on its capital.

Venezuela, a long-standing ally of Cuba, is believed to send around 35,000 barrels of oil a day to the island, but Trump has said this will end.

“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!” he posted 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.”

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

He also referenced the raid to seize Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, who are facing drug trafficking and other charges in a US court.

Cuba has for years supplied Maduro with his personal security detail. The Cuban government said 32 of its nationals were killed during the US operation in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas.

Trump said: “Most of those Cubans are DEAD from last week’s USA attack, and Venezuela doesn’t need protection anymore 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 them, and protect them we will.”

The Cuban government is yet to respond to Trump’s latest threats, but President Miguel Díaz-Canel previously said the 32 “brave Cuban combatants” who died in Venezuela would be honoured for “taking on the terrorists in imperial uniforms”.

While the Trump administration has not stated clear plans for Cuba, the US president has previously said that a military intervention was unnecessary because the country was “ready to fall”.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio indicated last week that Cuba’s leaders should be worried, saying that he would be “concerned” if he was in the Cuban government and that “they’re in a lot of trouble”.

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

Trump shared that post with the comment: “Sounds good to me!”

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



Source link

  • Related Posts

    Thailand PM calls for energy saving as Middle East conflict drives price surge | Thailand

    Thailand’s prime minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, has called on the public to conserve energy, urging work-from-home measures and carpooling, as he warned of the impact of the conflict in the Middle…

    Why this oil shock is different

    Governments and central banks are out of policy ammunition to contain the economic fallout Source link

    Leave a Reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    You Missed

    AI is changing how small online sellers decide what to make

    AI is changing how small online sellers decide what to make

    What we know about the search as Savannah Guthrie returns to “TODAY”

    What we know about the search as Savannah Guthrie returns to “TODAY”

    Thailand PM calls for energy saving as Middle East conflict drives price surge | Thailand

    Thailand PM calls for energy saving as Middle East conflict drives price surge | Thailand

    Alberta snowpacks much deeper thanks to heavy snowfall

    Alberta snowpacks much deeper thanks to heavy snowfall

    “I Didn’t Want To Let Anyone Down” – Mario Galaxy Movie Composer Wrote Much Of The Score In Hospital

    “I Didn’t Want To Let Anyone Down” – Mario Galaxy Movie Composer Wrote Much Of The Score In Hospital

    Canada Gazette – Part I, February 17, 2024, volume 158, number 7