US PresidentDonald Trumpon Sunday suggestedCubashould strike a deal with Washington, warning that the island nation would no longer receive oil or money from Venezuela.
Venezuela is Cuba's biggest oil supplier, but since the capture of Venezuelan PresidentNicolas Maduroby US forces, Trump has successfully pressed interim PresidentDelcy Rodriguezto send Venezuelan oil to the United States.
"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 social media platform Truth Social on Sunday.
"Cubalived, for many years, on large amounts of OIL and MONEY from Venezuela," Trump said.
Cuba's PresidentMiguel Diaz-Canelrebuffed Trump's threat against his country, vowing to defend it.
"Cuba is a free, independent and sovereign nation. No one tells us what to do," Diaz-Canel wrote on X, adding that the Caribbean island was "ready to defend the homeland to the last drop of blood".
US intelligence has painted a grim picture of Cuba's economic and political situation, but its assessments offer no clear support for Trump's prediction that the island is "ready to fall", Reuters reported on Saturday, citing three people familiar with the confidential assessments.
Read moreWhat can Trump offer Big Oil to bring US capital back to Venezuela?
The CIAs view is that key sectors of the Cuban economy, such as agriculture and tourism, are severely strained by frequent blackouts, tradesanctionsand other problems. The potential loss of oil imports and other support from Venezuela, for decades a key ally, could make governing more difficult for the administration that has ruled Cuba sinceFidel Castroled a revolution in 1959.
For Cuba, the loss of Venezuelan oil is devastating. Between January and November of last year, Venezuela sent an average of 27,000 barrels per day (bpd) to the island, covering roughly 50 percent of Cuba's oil deficit, according toshippingdata and documents from Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA.
(FRANCE 24 with Reuters)
Originally published on France24
