Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel issued a defiant response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s declaration that no more Venezuelan oil or money would flow to Cuba, emphasizing the island’s sovereignty and readiness to defend itself amid escalating U.S. pressure.
Trump’s message announced the cutoff following the U.S. capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in early January, which halted Venezuelan oil shipments to Cuba amid a strict U.S. blockade.
“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 wrote.
Díaz-Canel rejected the threat, asserting Cuba’s independence and blaming long-standing U.S. policies for the island’s economic difficulties.
(Translation) “They have no moral authority to point fingers at Cuba on anything, absolutely anything, those who turn everything into a business, even human lives. Those who today hysterically rant against our nation do so sick with rage over the sovereign decision of this people to choose their political model,” Díaz-Canel wrote.
He continued: (Translation) “Those who blame the Revolution for the severe economic shortages we suffer should shut up out of shame. Because they know and recognize that they are the result of the draconian measures of extreme asphyxiation that the US has applied to us for six decades and threatens to surpass now.”
Díaz-Canel concluded: (Translation) “Cuba is a free, independent, and sovereign nation. No one dictates what we do. Cuba does not aggress; it is aggressed upon by the United States for 66 years, and it does not threaten; it prepares, ready to defend the Homeland to the last drop of blood.”
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez also posted, denying any compensation for security services and defending Cuba’s right to import fuel.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) issued a pointed warning to Cuba’s leadership on Sunday, urging them to contact ousted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro for advice—if they can reach him—and suggesting they prepare to flee.
“My advice to the commies running Cuba and oppressing its people: Call Maduro and ask him what to do…If you can get through, that is. If I were you, I’d be looking for a new place to live,” Graham wrote.
Venezuela was Cuba’s largest oil supplier last year, providing some 26,500 barrels per day of crude and fuel, covering roughly 50% of the island’s oil deficit, according to ship tracking data and internal documents from state-run PDVSA.
The statement came in direct response to President Donald Trump’s earlier Truth Social post declaring an end to Venezuelan oil and financial flows to Cuba following a U.S. military operation that captured Maduro last week.
No cargoes have departed Venezuelan ports to Cuba since Maduro’s capture, exacerbating blackouts, shortages of food, fuel, and medicine, and a record exodus in recent years.
Mexico has emerged as an alternative supplier in smaller volumes, with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum noting her country has become an “important supplier” amid events in Venezuela.
Meanwhile, Caracas and Washington are advancing a $2 billion deal for up to 50 million barrels of Venezuelan oil to the U.S., with proceeds in U.S. Treasury-supervised accounts.
Thirty-two members of Cuba’s armed forces and intelligence services were killed in the U.S. raid on Venezuela.
U.S. intelligence describes Cuba’s economy as severely strained in sectors like agriculture and tourism due to blackouts, sanctions, and other issues, with the loss of Venezuelan support potentially complicating governance for Díaz-Canel.
