Trump says ‘Cuba will be failing pretty soon’
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People spending time on a street sidewalk on Jan 11 as US-Cuba tensions rise after US President Donald Trump vowed to stop Venezuelan oil from reaching Cuba.
PHOTO: REUTERS
WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump said on Jan 27 that “Cuba will be failing pretty soon”, adding that Venezuela, once the island’s top supplier, has not recently sent oil or money to Cuba.
Emboldened by the US military’s seizure of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro
Mr Trump has vowed to stop oil and money from long-time backer Venezuela from reaching Cuba.
“Cuba will be failing pretty soon. Cuba is really a nation that’s very close to failing,” Mr Trump told reporters on Jan 27.
“You know, they got their money from Venezuela. They got the oil from Venezuela. They are not getting that anymore,” he added.
Mr Trump has said Washington will “run” Venezuela,
The United Nations’ human rights office has said the US raid in which Maduro was seized was a violation of international law.
Human rights experts say Mr Trump’s focus on exploiting Venezuelan oil echoed an imperialist approach and raised questions about US efforts to frame Maduro’s capture as a law enforcement action to cut drug trafficking.
Cuba’s President said in January that Washington had no moral authority to force a deal on Cuba after Mr Trump suggested the Communist-run island should strike an agreement with the US. REUTERS
