On January 11, 2026, President Donald Trump issued a blunt warning to Cuba, declaring that the flow of Venezuelan oil and financial support to the Communist-run island would end completely. In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump wrote: “THERE WILL BE NO MORE OIL OR MONEY GOING TO CUBA – ZERO! I strongly suggest they make a deal, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE.”
The statement came amid major regional upheaval following the U.S. military’s January 3 capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro during a raid in Caracas. Since then, no Venezuelan oil shipments have reached Cuba, according to shipping data, as the United States enforced a strict oil blockade on the OPEC nation. Venezuela had long been Cuba’s largest oil supplier, delivering about 26,500 barrels per day last year—enough to cover roughly half of the island’s oil needs—under longstanding agreements that dated back to the Hugo Chávez era.
Trump emphasized that Cuba had relied heavily on Venezuelan oil and money for years, often in exchange for providing security and advisory support to the previous Venezuelan government. With that lifeline now severed, he predicted the Cuban regime was on the brink of collapse. Last week, he publicly stated, “Cuba is ready to fall,” adding that the island now had “no income” after losing its Venezuelan support.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a longtime critic of the Cuban government and a key figure in the Venezuela operation, has also intensified pressure on Havana. In early January remarks, Rubio warned that Cuban officials should be “concerned” about their future, describing the country as a “disaster.”
Cuban leaders responded with defiance. President Miguel Díaz-Canel posted on X that Cuba is a “free, independent, and sovereign nation” where “nobody dictates what we do.” He accused the United States of attacking Cuba for 66 years and vowed the island would defend itself “to the last drop of blood.” Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez defended Cuba’s right to import fuel from any willing supplier without U.S. interference, calling Washington an “out-of-control criminal hegemon” that threatens global peace and security.
Cuba has begun turning to Mexico as a partial alternative supplier. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum described her country as an “important supplier” of crude to Cuba in recent weeks, though volumes remain small compared to what Venezuela once provided.
The renewed U.S. pressure arrives against the backdrop of Cuba’s severe ongoing crisis. The island has faced frequent rolling blackouts, widespread shortages of food, fuel, and medicine, and a record exodus of citizens in recent years. Many Cubans blame the country’s economic system and the long-standing U.S. trade embargo for their hardships.
Reactions on the ground in Havana varied. A 45-year-old produce vendor, Alberto Jimenez, dismissed Trump’s threats, saying, “That doesn’t scare me. Not at all. The Cuban people are prepared for anything.” In contrast, 58-year-old parking attendant Maria Elena Sabina described daily suffering and called for rapid change: “There’s no electricity here, no gas, not even liquefied gas. There’s nothing here. So yes, a change is needed, and quickly.”
Trump has not specified the terms of any potential “deal” with Cuba. His comments, however, reflect a broader push to reshape power dynamics in the Western Hemisphere following the dramatic intervention in Venezuela, where the U.S. has discussed involvement in extracting and marketing the country’s oil on global markets.
As tensions escalate, Cuba’s leadership continues to reject U.S. demands while facing mounting economic isolation and internal strain.