Trump says no more Venezuelan oil or money to go to Cuba, demands ‘deal’

Venezuela is Cuba’s biggest lipid supplier, but nary shipments person departed Venezuelan ports since Maduro’s abduction.

United States President Donald Trump says nary much Venezuelan lipid oregon wealth volition spell to Cuba, and helium has suggested the communist-run land should onslaught a woody with Washington, ramping up unit connected the longtime US nemesis.

Venezuela is Cuba’s biggest lipid supplier, but nary cargo has departed from Venezuelan ports to the Caribbean state since the abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by US forces connected January 3 amid a strict US lipid blockade connected the OPEC country, according to the latest shipping data.

Recommended Stories

• list 1 of 3Trump promises lipid executives ‘total safety’ if they put successful Venezuela
• list 2 of 3Analysis: Why Venezuela’s subject holds the cardinal to country’s future
• list 3 of 3Trump meets US lipid bosses to sermon Venezuela extraction

“THERE WILL BE NO MORE OIL OR MONEY GOING TO CUBA – ZERO! I powerfully suggest they marque a deal, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE,” Trump wrote connected his Truth Social level connected Sunday.

“Cuba lived, for galore years, connected ample amounts of OIL and MONEY from Venezuela,” Trump added.

Trump did not elaborate connected his suggested deal, but US officials person hardened their rhetoric against Cuba successful caller weeks.

Earlier connected Sunday, Trump besides reposted a connection connected Truth Social suggesting US Secretary of State Marco Rubio could go the president of communist-ruled Cuba.

Trump shared that station with the comment: “Sounds bully to me!”

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel rejected Trump’s threats successful a station connected X.

“Cuba is simply a free, independent, and sovereign nation. Nobody dictates what we do,” Diaz-Canel said.

“Cuba does not attack; it has been attacked by the US for 66 years, and it does not threaten; it prepares, acceptable to support the homeland to the past driblet of blood.”

Earlier, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez insisted “right and justness are connected Cuba’s side”.

The US “behaves similar an out-of-control transgression hegemon that threatens bid and security, not lone successful Cuba and this hemisphere, but passim the full world”, Rodriguez posted connected X.

Rodriguez besides said successful a abstracted station connected X that Cuba had the close to import substance from immoderate suppliers consenting to export it. He besides denied that Cuba had received fiscal oregon different “material” compensation successful instrumentality for information services provided to immoderate country.

Reporting from Cucuta, Colombia, Al Jazeera’s Alessandro Rampietti said that, contempt its defiant rhetoric, Cuba whitethorn conflict to find alternate sources of fuel.

“Cuba is going done a very, precise hard concern with rolling blackouts, substance shortages connected a regular basis,” helium said.

He added that an lipid embargo from the US could worsen and could pressurise Havana to scope a woody with Washington.

Under a US commercialized embargo, Havana since 2000 has progressively relied connected Venezuelan lipid provided arsenic portion of a woody struck with Maduro’s predecessor Hugo Chavez.

As its operational refining capableness dwindled successful caller years, Venezuela’s proviso of crude and substance to Cuba has fallen. But the South American state is inactive the largest supplier with astir 26,500 barrels per time exported past year, according to ship-tracking information and interior documents of Venezuela’s state-run lipid company, PDVSA. Venezuela’s shipments covered astir 50 percent of Cuba’s lipid deficit.

Cuba besides relies connected imported crude and substance provided by Mexico successful smaller volumes.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum past week said her state had not accrued proviso volumes but, fixed caller governmental events successful Venezuela, Mexico had turned into an “important supplier” of crude to Cuba.

Meanwhile, amid Trump’s threats to Cuba, Al Jazeera’s Patty Culhane said Americans mostly privation Trump to absorption connected the home economy.

“There is an affordability situation successful this country, groceries are expensive, lodging is expensive, wellness security has gone up,” she said, reporting from Washington, DC.

“This is simply a president who has said helium volition absorption connected America First. We person present seen him weaponry 7 countries, … truthful wrong [Trump’s] base, they are starting to spot cracks due to the fact that this is not what helium promised connected his run trail,” she added.