The Cuban regime attempted to dress up the political and economic distancing from Venezuela by manipulating an official statement issued by the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry on January 11, 2026, in which Caracas reaffirmed its “historical position” in relations with Cuba.
The version broadcast by the National Television News (NTV) distorted the content, removing diplomatic references and introducing an ideological narrative centered on the "legacy of Chávez and Fidel".
The original text from the Venezuelan government, shared on the social network X, emphasized self-determination and national sovereignty "in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations and International Law," and included a call for "political and diplomatic dialogue" to resolve controversies peacefully.
However, the statement did not mention the United States nor did it contain confrontational phrases.
The NTV, on the other hand, removed references to International Law and dialogue, replacing them with statements that do not exist in the original document.
Among the most evident interpolations, the official media incorporated passages about “the Latin American project envisioned by Bolívar and Martí” and a tribute to “the legacy of Chávez and Fidel”, as well as introducing a paragraph in which it accused Washington of attempting to “fragment the unity of our nations”.
None of those phrases appear in the official text of the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry.
The Cuban version aimed to reinforce the image of an unbreakable alliance between both regimes, just as that relationship is experiencing its most fragile moment in two decades.
The Venezuelan statement was a direct response to the remarks made by President Donald J. Trump, who on the same day warned from his social network Truth Social that the United States would immediately stop the shipment of oil and money from Venezuela to Cuba.
“There will be no more oil or money for Cuba: zero”, wrote Trump, recalling that for years Havana relied on Venezuelan resources in exchange for intelligence and security support.
This warning, combined with the capture of Nicolás Maduro and the establishment of the interim government of Delcy Rodríguez under Washington's oversight, has drastically altered the regional balance.
The new Venezuelan government maintains a more cautious diplomatic approach, focused on internal stability and complying with the conditions imposed by the United States for a democratic transition.
In this context, the manipulation of the statement by Havana revealed a desperate attempt to maintain the appearance of ideological unity. The removal of legal and diplomatic references, along with the insertion of revolutionary symbols, reflects the Cuban regime's interest in upholding the narrative of Bolivarian continuity despite the material collapse of the alliance.
Since the end of December, the supply of subsidized crude oil from Venezuela to Cuba has nearly halved, and the cooperation agreements in health and security are currently under review.
Without that support, the Cuban economy faces an even deeper energy crisis, characterized by prolonged blackouts, fuel shortages, and a scenario of instability that threatens the sustainability of the model imposed by Castroism.
The contrast between the official Venezuelan text—diplomatic, cautious, and dialogue-oriented—and the propagandistic version of NTV—ideological and confrontational—reveals the extent to which the Cuban media apparatus tries to control public perception to conceal a historic change.
The Chávez-Fidel era, which sustained the Caracas-Havana axis for two decades, is definitively coming to an end under the pressure of Washington and the new regional power dynamics.
Manipulation not only distorts the political reality but also reveals the Cuban regime's fear of acknowledging its isolation. The underlying message is clear: the "revolutionary brotherhood" no longer exists, and Havana is trying to extend a narrative that Caracas is already beginning to leave behind.
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