Cuba defiant after Trump says island to receive no more Venezuelan oil or money
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US President Donald Trump urged Cuba to make a deal "before it is too late".
PHOTO: REUTERS
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US President Donald Trump on Jan 11 said no more Venezuelan oil or money will go to Cuba and suggested the Communist-run island should strike a deal with Washington, ramping up pressure on the longtime US nemesis.
Venezuela is Cuba’s biggest oil supplier, but no cargoes have departed from Venezuelan ports to the Caribbean country since the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro
Meanwhile, Caracas and Washington are progressing on a US$2 billion (S$2.6 billion) deal to supply up to 50 million barrels of Venezuelan oil to the US
“THERE WILL BE NO MORE OIL OR MONEY GOING TO CUBA – ZERO! I strongly suggest they make a deal, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE,” Mr Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social on Jan 11.
“Cuba lived, for many years, on large amounts of OIL and MONEY from Venezuela,” he said.
The US president did not elaborate on his suggested deal.
But Mr Trump’s push on Cuba represents the latest escalation in his move to bring regional powers in line with the United States and underscores the seriousness of the administration’s ambition to dominate the Western Hemisphere.
Mr Trump’s top officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, have made no secret of their expectation that the recent US intervention in Venezuela could push Cuba over the edge.
US officials have hardened their rhetoric against Cuba in recent weeks, though the two countries have been at odds since former leader Fidel Castro’s 1959 revolution.
Cuba defend import rights
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez said in a post on X on Jan 11 that Cuba had the right to import fuel from any suppliers willing to export it. He also denied that Cuba had received financial or other “material” compensation in return for security services provided to any country.
Thirty-two members of Cuba’s armed forces and intelligence services were killed during the US raid
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.
As its operational refining capacity dwindled in recent years, Venezuela’s supply of crude and fuel to Cuba has fallen. But the South American country is still the largest provider with 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 per cent of Cuba’s oil deficit.
Even before Maduro’s capture, Cuba had been struggling to keep the lights on. Vast swaths of the island live without electricity for much of the day, and even the capital Havana has seen its economy crippled by hours-long rolling blackouts.
Shortages of food, fuel and medicine have put Cubans on edge and have prompted a record-breaking exodus, primarily to the United States, in the past five years.
Mexico becomes key supplier
Mexico has emerged in recent weeks as a critical alternative oil supplier to the island, but the supply remains small, according to the shipping data.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum last week said her country had not increased supply volumes, but given recent political events in Venezuela, Mexico had turned into an “important supplier” of crude to Cuba.
US intelligence has painted a grim picture of Cuba’s economic and political situation, but its assessments offer no clear support for Mr Trump’s prediction that the island is “ready to fall”, Reuters reported on Jan 10, citing three people familiar with the confidential assessments.
The CIA’s view is that key sectors of the Cuban economy, such as agriculture and tourism, are severely strained by frequent blackouts, trade sanctions and other problems.
The potential loss of oil imports and other support from Venezuela, for decades a key ally, could make governing more difficult for President Miguel Diaz Canel. REUTERS
