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US President Donald Trump warned Cuba to “make a deal” or face consequences after signalling an end to Venezuelan oil and financial support.
Trump said Cuba had relied for years on oil and money from Venezuela in exchange for providing security services to its leadership.
There will be no more oil or money going to Cuba, zero, I strongly suggest they make a deal before it is too late.
Donald Trump said.
The warning followed a US raid on 3 January that led to the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro in Caracas.
Venezuela has historically supplied Cuba with about 35,000 barrels of oil per day, easing the island’s chronic energy shortages.
The Trump administration has seized multiple tankers carrying sanctioned Venezuelan oil, deepening Cuba’s fuel and electricity crisis.
Cuba’s foreign minister Bruno Rodriguez said the country has the right to import fuel without US interference or coercion.
Cuba has the absolute right to import fuel without interference or subordination to unilateral coercive measures.
Bruno Rodriguez said.
Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel rejected US pressure, saying no foreign power dictates Cuba’s political decisions.
Trump said US forces no longer require Cuban security support in Venezuela following the operation against Maduro.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned that Cuba’s leadership should be concerned amid escalating US pressure.
The standoff highlights renewed tensions between Washington and Havana after years of strained relations.