JUST IN: Trump Offers Cuban Authorities A Agency Ultimatum
President Donald Trump on Sunday issued a direct ultimatum to the Cuban government, warning that the island nation would no longer receive oil or financial support from Venezuela following the U.S. military operation that captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro earlier this month.
“Cuba lived, for many years, on large amounts of OIL and MONEY from Venezuela. In return, Cuba provided ‘Security Services’ for the last two Venezuelan dictators, BUT NOT ANYMORE! Most of those Cubans are DEAD from last weeks U.S.A. attack, and Venezuela doesn’t need protection anymore from the thugs and extortionists who held them hostage for so many years,” the president posted on Truth Social.
“Venezuela now has the United States of America, the most powerful military in the World (by far!), to protect them, and protect them we will. THERE WILL BE NO MORE OIL OR MONEY GOING TO CUBA – ZERO! I strongly suggest they make a deal, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE. Thank you for your attention to this matter. President DJT.”
This ultimatum comes in the wake of Maduro’s capture during a U.S. special operation in Caracas, where U.S. forces conducted a large-scale strike, cutting power to the capital and extracting Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. Trump announced that the U.S. would oversee Venezuela’s operations until its oil infrastructure is rebuilt and a transition to local authorities could occur safely.
The operation resulted in the deaths of 32 Cuban officers who were defending Maduro, as reported by Cuban officials, highlighting the deep integration of Cuban personnel in Venezuela’s security apparatus.
The toppling of the Maduro regime marks a significant shift in the dynamics between Cuba and Venezuela, whose cooperation dates back to the early 2000s under Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez and Cuban leader Fidel Castro. The relationship was formalized through agreements like the 2000 Cuba-Venezuela Cooperation Agreement, under which Venezuela supplied Cuba with subsidized oil — often tens of thousands of barrels per day — in exchange for Cuban services.
This includes medical professionals, teachers, and security advisors. The oil has been a lifeline for Cuba, alleviating energy shortages and supporting its economy during periods of international isolation and U.S. sanctions.
Cuba’s involvement extended to providing “security services” for Venezuelan leaders, including intelligence and military support. In return, Venezuela’s oil exports helped sustain Cuba’s power grid and transportation systems, preventing deeper economic collapse. Experts note that this interdependence was rooted in shared ideological opposition to U.S. influence in Latin America, with Venezuela serving as Cuba’s primary economic backer after the collapse of the Soviet Union in the 1990s.
The loss of Venezuelan oil supplies exacerbates Cuba’s existing crises, including widespread power outages, medicine shortages, and rising food prices. Analysts describe Cuba’s economy as being in “free fall,” with the potential cutoff representing a geopolitical turning point that leaves Havana isolated and vulnerable. Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel has condemned the U.S. actions, calling them an attack on Venezuelan sovereignty and resources, but the regime has already lowered flags in mourning for the lost officers and braced for potential unrest.
The absence of this support could deepen Cuba’s economic crisis, forcing it to seek alternative energy sources or negotiate with the U.S., as Trump suggested.
“One of the biggest problems the Venezuelans have is they have to declare their independence from Cuba, which tried to basically colonize it from a security standpoint. If I lived in Havana and I was in the government, I’d be concerned,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a press conference following Maduro’s capture.
Rubio reiterated the U.S. stance in an interview with “Meet The Press” a day later. “It was Cubans that guarded Maduro,” he said, adding that the Cuban government is “a huge problem, first of all, for the people of Cuba” and that the U.S. is “not big fans of the Cuban regime, who, by the way, are the ones that were propping up Maduro.”