Trump warns Cuba to 'strike a deal' with US, threatens no more oil
- - Trump warns Cuba to 'strike a deal' with US, threatens no more oil
Kate Perez, USA TODAYJanuary 11, 2026 at 11:28 PM
0
President Donald Trump said on Sunday that no more Venezuelan oil or money will go to Cuba and suggested the Communist-run island strike a deal with the United States, placing more pressure on the country located 90 miles from Florida's shore.
With Venezuela acting as the island's largest oil supplier, oil supply to Cuba has dwindled following the Jan. 3 capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. The U.S. attack raised questions about the potential control and sale of the country's oil, with Trump telling the New York Times earlier this week that the U.S. would extract oil from Venezuela and market it globally for years.
The president took to his Truth Social media platform on Jan. 11 to urge Cuba to reach an agreement with the U.S.
"THERE WILL BE NO MORE OIL OR MONEY GOING TO CUBA - ZERO! I strongly suggest they make a deal, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, though he did not elaborate on the prospective deal for the island nation.
Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel denounced and responded to Trump's remarks on social media, writing that "those who turn everything into a business, even human lives, have no moral authority to criticize Cuba for anything, absolutely anything." Over two dozen Cuban military and intelligence service members reportedly died during the U.S. attack on Venezuela that led to Maduro's capture.
"Cuba is a free, independent, and sovereign nation. Nobody dictates what we do," Díaz-Canel continued on X. "Cuba does not attack; it has been attacked by the U.S. for 66 years, and it does not threaten; it prepares, ready to defend the homeland to the last drop of blood."
The social media posts are the latest move by the Trump administration targeting Cuba following Maduro's capture in a long history of tension, trade sanctions and embargoes between the two countries dating back to the 1950s. Both Trump and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio have spoken pointedly about the country, with the president describing Cuba's government and economic system on the verge of collapse last week.
More: Marco Rubio, who dreamed of ousting Venezuela’s Maduro, takes charge
"Cuba is ready to fall," Trump said. "Cuba looks like it's ready to fall. I don't know if they're going to hold out. But Cuba now has no income. They got all of their income from Venezuela, from the Venezuelan oil. They're not getting any of it. And Cuba is literally ready to fall."
Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants and a key architect of the Venezuela attack, is a longtime critic of the Cuban government.
Rubio issued a warning to Cuba in a Jan. 3 news conference as Trump and his top officials discussed the Venezuelan attack, calling the country a "disaster."
"If I lived in Havana and I was in the government, I would be concerned ‒ at least a little bit," Rubio said.
This file photo shows a group of U.S. sailors from the battleship Connecticut and a gun they captured at Cape Haitien during the U.S. occupation of Haiti in 1915.
" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/F_kZQk479TeSxCQqOvwnhQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD03MTI-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/70f2aaf02cf48a588704c00f9e165d94 class=caas-img data-headline="From Cuba to Panama: US interventions that shaped Latin America" data-caption="
This file photo shows a group of U.S. sailors from the battleship Connecticut and a gun they captured at Cape Haitien during the U.S. occupation of Haiti in 1915.
">This file photo shows a group of U.S. sailors from the battleship Connecticut and a gun they captured at Cape Haitien during the U.S. occupation of Haiti in 1915.
" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/F_kZQk479TeSxCQqOvwnhQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD03MTI-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/70f2aaf02cf48a588704c00f9e165d94 class=caas-img>Officers at Jacmel, Haiti, during the U.S. occupation in 1915.
" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/iVF8iq5iArcP0p76bUuY1w--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD0xMDQ3/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/f91ee2ff300539c3c2ae5608e0df35be class=caas-img data-headline="From Cuba to Panama: US interventions that shaped Latin America" data-caption="
Officers at Jacmel, Haiti, during the U.S. occupation in 1915.
">Officers at Jacmel, Haiti, during the U.S. occupation in 1915.
" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/iVF8iq5iArcP0p76bUuY1w--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD0xMDQ3/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/f91ee2ff300539c3c2ae5608e0df35be class=caas-img>A group of Cuban revolutionaries with Fidel Castro are seen with artillery after routing the U.S.-backed invasion at the Bay of Pigs in 1961.
" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/K99RCbDOJlPn6HkRyMNRZA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD0xMjgz/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/73b4d52dcceb2920ab4d64303cf53e27 class=caas-img data-headline="From Cuba to Panama: US interventions that shaped Latin America" data-caption="
A group of Cuban revolutionaries with Fidel Castro are seen with artillery after routing the U.S.-backed invasion at the Bay of Pigs in 1961.
">A group of Cuban revolutionaries with Fidel Castro are seen with artillery after routing the U.S.-backed invasion at the Bay of Pigs in 1961.
" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/K99RCbDOJlPn6HkRyMNRZA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD0xMjgz/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/73b4d52dcceb2920ab4d64303cf53e27 class=caas-img>Children cheer on the U.S. Marines following offensive in Vecca Monte west of Panama City, during "Operation Just Cause," the U.S. invasion to remove Manuel Noriega, which lasted from December 1989 through January 1990.
" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/yQnGji4ewpfADVnU_sk8uA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04NDU-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/43e0296e3a79ce824a31a09e6b4d2d95 class=caas-img data-headline="From Cuba to Panama: US interventions that shaped Latin America" data-caption="
Children cheer on the U.S. Marines following offensive in Vecca Monte west of Panama City, during "Operation Just Cause," the U.S. invasion to remove Manuel Noriega, which lasted from December 1989 through January 1990.
">Children cheer on the U.S. Marines following offensive in Vecca Monte west of Panama City, during "Operation Just Cause," the U.S. invasion to remove Manuel Noriega, which lasted from December 1989 through January 1990.
" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/yQnGji4ewpfADVnU_sk8uA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04NDU-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/43e0296e3a79ce824a31a09e6b4d2d95 class=caas-img>A U.S. Marine corps crew takes up position on the outskirts of Santo Domingo, on May 2, 1965, during the Dominican Civil War.
" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/RMXxgfKz7oPo4.max.exhQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04MTc-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/83ce7aa1deae0d650b561ebdad079df2 class=caas-img data-headline="From Cuba to Panama: US interventions that shaped Latin America" data-caption="
A U.S. Marine corps crew takes up position on the outskirts of Santo Domingo, on May 2, 1965, during the Dominican Civil War.
">A U.S. Marine corps crew takes up position on the outskirts of Santo Domingo, on May 2, 1965, during the Dominican Civil War.
" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/RMXxgfKz7oPo4.max.exhQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04MTc-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/83ce7aa1deae0d650b561ebdad079df2 class=caas-img>The U.S. Army Airborne troops drive down a street in Santo Domingo during the occupation of the Dominican Republic in 1965.
" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/NHCj9Y7aJAPZQ16qOqA2yg--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04MDU-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/69590c3abfb7943a86ca6f37b693c8e7 class=caas-img data-headline="From Cuba to Panama: US interventions that shaped Latin America" data-caption="
The U.S. Army Airborne troops drive down a street in Santo Domingo during the occupation of the Dominican Republic in 1965.
">The U.S. Army Airborne troops drive down a street in Santo Domingo during the occupation of the Dominican Republic in 1965.
" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/NHCj9Y7aJAPZQ16qOqA2yg--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04MDU-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/69590c3abfb7943a86ca6f37b693c8e7 class=caas-img>U.S. troops in full combat gear run on the docks of Port-au-Prince harbor, on Sept. 19, 1994, after arriving on an assault helicopter. Thousands of U.S. soldiers arrived in Haiti on Sept. 19, 1994, as part of "Operation Uphold Democracy," to pave the way for the restoration of the elected president Jean-Bertrand Aristide.
" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/_ADKybWRhb1MZaplrzf_kw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/295d8dc88de57a193ef94c9c9fc20249 class=caas-img data-headline="From Cuba to Panama: US interventions that shaped Latin America" data-caption="
U.S. troops in full combat gear run on the docks of Port-au-Prince harbor, on Sept. 19, 1994, after arriving on an assault helicopter. Thousands of U.S. soldiers arrived in Haiti on Sept. 19, 1994, as part of "Operation Uphold Democracy," to pave the way for the restoration of the elected president Jean-Bertrand Aristide.
">U.S. troops in full combat gear run on the docks of Port-au-Prince harbor, on Sept. 19, 1994, after arriving on an assault helicopter. Thousands of U.S. soldiers arrived in Haiti on Sept. 19, 1994, as part of "Operation Uphold Democracy," to pave the way for the restoration of the elected president Jean-Bertrand Aristide.
" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/_ADKybWRhb1MZaplrzf_kw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/295d8dc88de57a193ef94c9c9fc20249 class=caas-img>Hundreds of local residents run towards the U.S. Chinook helicopters, on Sept. 24, 1994, as a detachment of over 100 U.S. troops arrive in this small southern coastal town, 120 km south of Port-au-Prince, as part of the "Operation Uphold Democracy."
" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/Sp3_25bFfQp7nVZv0vQrUg--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/4c042a36edcefd4cf06606fab87dadc1 class=caas-img data-headline="From Cuba to Panama: US interventions that shaped Latin America" data-caption="
Hundreds of local residents run towards the U.S. Chinook helicopters, on Sept. 24, 1994, as a detachment of over 100 U.S. troops arrive in this small southern coastal town, 120 km south of Port-au-Prince, as part of the "Operation Uphold Democracy."
">Hundreds of local residents run towards the U.S. Chinook helicopters, on Sept. 24, 1994, as a detachment of over 100 U.S. troops arrive in this small southern coastal town, 120 km south of Port-au-Prince, as part of the "Operation Uphold Democracy."
" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/Sp3_25bFfQp7nVZv0vQrUg--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/4c042a36edcefd4cf06606fab87dadc1 class=caas-img>
1 / 8From Cuba to Panama: US interventions that shaped Latin America
This file photo shows a group of U.S. sailors from the battleship Connecticut and a gun they captured at Cape Haitien during the U.S. occupation of Haiti in 1915.
Cuban leadership: island has 'absolute right' to fuel
Cuban leadership maintains that the island has an "absolute right" to import fuel from places willing to export it while developing trade relations "without interference or subordination to the unilateral coercive measures of (the U.S.)," the country's Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez said in a separate post on X Sunday.
Rodríguez added that Cuba has not received monetary or material compensation for the security services it has provided to any country.
"Right and justice are on Cuba's side. (The U.S.) behaves like a criminal and uncontrolled hegemon that threatens peace and security, not only in Cuba and this hemisphere, but in the entire world," Rodríguez wrote.
Cuba relies on imported crude and fuel mainly provided by Venezuela, and Mexico in smaller volumes, purchased on the open market to keep its power generators and vehicles running, but has seen a supply decrease from Venezuela in recent years, Reuters reported.
Still, the island depends on the South American country's supply, which consists of some 26,500 barrels per day exported last year, according to ship tracking data and internal documents of state-run PDVSA, which covered roughly 50% of Cuba's oil deficit, Reuters reported.
Havana produce vendor Alberto Jimenez, 45, said Cuba would not back down in the face of Trump's threat.
“That doesn't scare me. Not at all. The Cuban people are prepared for anything," Jimenez said.
Cubans have endured a slew of hardships in recent years, including frequent and long-lasting power outages that have turned into blackouts multiple times. People have left Cuba in masses in the last half-decade, with many blaming the country's shaky economic system and food insecurity.
Meanwhile, Mexico has emerged in recent weeks as an alternative oil supplier to the island, but the supply remains small, according to the shipping data. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said her country had not increased supply volumes, but has turned into an "important supplier" of crude to Cuba.
Havana resident and parking attendant Maria Elena Sabina, a 58-year-old born shortly after Castro took power, said it was time for Cuba's leaders to make changes amid so much suffering.
“There's no electricity here, no gas, not even liquefied gas. There's nothing here," Sabina said. "So yes, a change is needed, a change is needed, and quickly.”
Contributing: Reuters, USA TODAY's Bart Jansen, Joey Garrison
Kate Perez covers national trends and breaking news for USA TODAY. You can reach her at [email protected] or on Twitter @katecperez_.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump warns Cuba of no more oil, tells it to 'strike a deal' with US
Source: “AOL Breaking”
