'Before it's too late': Trump escalates pressure on Cuba to 'make a deal' after Venezuela operation 

US President Donald Trump has issued one of his strongest warnings yet to Cuba, signalling a sharp escalation in Washington’s posture toward Havana as the United States moves to choke off the island’s economic lifeline from Venezuela. 

In a series of posts on his Truth Social platform on Sunday, Trump declared that Cuba would no longer receive Venezuelan oil or financial support, urging the Cuban leadership to “make a deal” with the United States before facing unspecified consequences. 

“THERE WILL BE NO MORE OIL OR MONEY GOING TO CUBA – ZERO!” Trump wrote, adding, “I strongly suggest they make a deal, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE.” 

Targeting Havana’s Venezuela Dependence 

Trump’s remarks appear aimed squarely at Cuba’s long-standing reliance on subsidised Venezuelan oil, a relationship that has sustained the Cuban economy for years despite US sanctions. According to the president, Havana’s support for Caracas went beyond ideology, alleging that Cuba provided “security services” to Venezuela’s leadership in exchange for energy and financial aid. 

“Cuba lived for many years while getting large amounts of money and oil from Venezuela,” Trump said, asserting that this arrangement had now come to an end. 

The warning follows aggressive US moves against Venezuela in recent weeks, including tightened sanctions, seizures of oil shipments and a military operation that resulted in the capture of deposed Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro. 

Rubio signals broader pressure 

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a longtime hardliner on both Cuba and Venezuela, reinforced the message with a thinly veiled warning that developments in Caracas could have implications elsewhere in the region. 

“If I lived in Havana and I was in the government, I’d be concerned at least a little bit,” Rubio said earlier after the US operation on Venezuela, suggesting that the precedent set in Venezuela could extend beyond its borders. 

Trump, speaking at a press conference, described Cuba as “an interesting case” and portrayed the country as being in deep economic distress. “That system has not been a very good one for Cuba. The people there have suffered for many, many years,” he said, adding that the United States ultimately wanted to “help the people.” 

Havana pushes back 

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel had responded sharply, condemning the US operation in Venezuela as criminal and destabilising. Addressing thousands at a mass rally in Havana, he rejected Washington’s framing of the raid as a law-enforcement action. 

“Latin America is not the backyard where the United States does as it pleases,” Díaz-Canel declared, accusing Washington of undermining regional stability. 

The Cuban leader described the early-morning assault on Venezuela as “cowardly, criminal, and treacherous,” and demanded proof of life for Maduro following reports of his transfer to US custody. He dismissed US claims linking the operation to narcotics trafficking, arguing that no evidence had been presented. 

Instead, Díaz-Canel accused Washington of pursuing Venezuela’s vast oil reserves through what he called an act of “state terrorism,” drawing a controversial comparison to Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. 

The exchange underscores rising tensions across the Americas as the Trump administration moves to reshape regional dynamics through economic pressure and military force. The United States has a long history of intervention in Latin America, a legacy that continues to shape reactions in Havana and beyond.