Related videos:
The President of the United States, Donald J. Trump, sent a harsh message to the Cuban government this Sunday, announcing the immediate end of oil and money shipments from Venezuela, an economic support source that the Island has relied on for years.
In a post published on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump stated emphatically: "There will be no more oil or money for Cuba: zero! I strongly suggest that they reach an agreement before it’s too late".
In his post, Trump recalled that for decades, Cuba had heavily relied on Venezuelan oil and financial resources in exchange for "security services" from Havana to Venezuelan leaders Hugo Chávez and Nicolás Maduro.
Now, he pointed out, that scheme has come to an end following Maduro's capture and the death of dozens of Cuban military personnel during the U.S.-led military operation in Caracas.
The warning comes at a time of particularly heightened diplomatic tensions between Washington and Havana, the most severe in decades, amid the political and economic fallout from the capture of the Venezuelan dictator.
Analysts indicate that Trump's message aims to intensify pressure on the Cuban regime, which is weakened not only by the loss of Venezuelan support but also by its deep internal energy and economic crisis.
The United States has not only announced the interruption of energy supplies that benefited Cuba, but it has also urged Havana to seek an "agreement" with Washington before isolation and sanctions are further intensified.
The president argues that Venezuela no longer needs external support for its security, as it would now be under the protection of the United States.
"The most powerful army in the world (by far!), to protect them, and we will protect them!" he expressed.
The U.S. decision has direct implications for the Cuban economy, which has historically been vulnerable to energy shortages.
Cuba has been under a U.S. embargo for years, and the disappearance of Venezuelan oil shipments, which represented a crucial part of its energy supply, threatens to exacerbate the already prolonged blackouts and the state's financial limitations.
Washington has indicated that these measures are part of a strategic reconfiguration following Maduro's capture, in which the U.S. seeks to neutralize support networks for authoritarian governments in the region and promote political change.
The Cuban government, for its part, has rejected the warnings, maintaining discourses of resistance against what it terms external pressures and interference.
In Havana, the official discourse seeks to counter these pressures through mobilizations and an emphasis on "national unity" in the face of external threats.
However, the combination of the energy crisis, dwindling traditional support, and direct warnings from the White House creates a scenario of increasing isolation for the regime, whose political and economic survival is seriously being tested in the current regional context.
Filed under: