Trump to Cuba: No More Oil, Make a Deal Before It’s Too Late

Trump to Cuba: No More Oil, Make a Deal Before It’s Too Late

President Donald Trump escalated pressure on Cuba over the weekend, declaring an end to the island’s long-standing access to Venezuelan oil and money and warning Havana that its leverage in the region has collapsed following last week’s U.S. military operation in Venezuela.

In a lengthy Truth Social post, Trump framed Cuba’s economic crisis as self-inflicted, tying it directly to decades of involvement in Venezuela’s authoritarian security apparatus and signaling that the United States is no longer willing to tolerate the arrangement.

“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! Most of those Cubans are DEAD from last weeks U.S.A. 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. THERE WILL BE NO MORE OIL OR MONEY GOING TO CUBA – ZERO! I strongly suggest they make a deal, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE. Thank you for your attention to this matter. President DJT.” 

Trump’s remarks come amid a dramatic realignment in the region following the capture of Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro and the effective dismantling of his regime’s security structure. According to Reuters, the fallout has already hit Havana hard, with Venezuelan oil shipments abruptly halting.

“No cargoes have departed from Venezuelan ports to Cuba since the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by U.S. forces in early January amid a strict U.S. oil blockade,” Reuters reported, noting that Venezuela had been Cuba’s largest oil supplier. 

Reuters further reported that Venezuela supplied roughly half of Cuba’s oil deficit last year, leaving the island nation scrambling to secure alternative energy sources as power shortages and blackouts worsen. While Mexico has provided limited shipments, the volumes fall far short of what Cuba previously received from Caracas.

The Hill reported that Trump’s warning reflects a broader administration strategy to leverage Venezuela’s oil reserves while isolating regimes that benefited from Maduro’s rule.

“President Trump on Saturday suggested that Cuba should cut a deal with the U.S. after last weekend’s military actions in Venezuela,” The Hill reported, adding that Republican lawmakers view the cutoff as a potentially destabilizing blow to Havana’s communist government. 

Cuban officials have publicly struck a defiant tone, denying financial compensation for security services and insisting they have the right to import fuel from willing suppliers. But with Venezuelan oil now off the table and U.S. control expanding in Caracas, Cuba’s margin for maneuver is rapidly shrinking.

Trump’s message was unmistakable: the era of oil-for-repression in the Western Hemisphere is over, and Cuba must decide whether to negotiate or face the consequences of isolation.

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