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US President Donald Trump on Sunday said no more Venezuelan oil or money would go to Cuba and suggested that the communist-run island must make a deal with Washington, increasing pressure on longtime US enemies.
Venezuela is a major supplier of Cuban oil, but no shipments have left Venezuelan ports for the Caribbean country since the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro by US forces in Jan. 3 amid a tight shutdown of US oil in OPEC countries, shipping data shows.
Meanwhile, Caracas and Washington are moving forward on a $2 billion US deal to supply up to 50 million barrels of Venezuelan oil to the US, with the money to be deposited into accounts supervised by the US Treasury – a major test of the budding relationship between Trump and interim President Delcy Rodríguez.
“NO MORE FUEL OR MONEY GOING TO CUBA – ZERO! I strongly suggest they make a deal, BEFORE THE END,” Trump wrote on his True Social forum on Sunday. “Cuba has lived for many years, with a lot of oil and MONEY from Venezuela.”
Trump did not elaborate on his proposed deal. US officials have stepped up their rhetoric against Cuba in recent weeks.
Venezuela’s government has launched a major crackdown on the opposition after the ouster of Nicolás Maduro, imprisoning journalists and civilians. Caracas-based journalist Román Camacho and Venezuelan politician Freddy Guevara spoke to Hanomansing Tonight about the situation in the country.
Cuba protects import rights
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cuba, Bruno Rodríguez, said on the X social media platform on Sunday that Cuba has the right to import fuel from any supplier willing to export it. He also denied that Cuba received financial or other “material” compensation in return for security services provided to any country.
32 members of the Cuban military and intelligence were killed when the US invaded Venezuela. Cuba said those killed were responsible for “protection and protection,” but did not provide details on the arrangement between the two longtime allies.
Cuba relies on imported fuel – mainly supplied by Venezuela, and small volumes from Mexico – bought on the open market to keep its generators and cars running.
As its refining capacity has dwindled in recent years, Venezuela’s supply of crude and fuel to Cuba has declined. But the South American country is still the biggest supplier, with 26,500 barrels a day exported last year, according to ship tracking data and internal documents of the state-run PDVSA, which covers about 50 percent of Cuba’s oil deficit.
Mexico has emerged in recent weeks as another important supplier of oil to the island, but supplies remain tight, according to shipping data.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said last week that her country did not raise tariffs but given the recent political events in Venezuela, Mexico has become an “important supplier” to Cuba.
The US intelligence service has created a grim picture of the economic and political situation in Cuba, but its assessment does not clearly support Trump’s prediction that the island is “ready to fall,” Reuters reported on Saturday, citing three people familiar with the secret assessment.
The CIA’s view is that key sectors of Cuba’s economy, such as agriculture and recreation, have been hit hard by frequent blackouts, trade sanctions and other problems. The potential loss of oil imports and other support from Venezuela, for decades a key ally, could make governing more difficult for President Miguel Diaz-Canel.
