Trump Threatens Cuba With End to Venezuelan Oil and Funds

Overview

• The White House ordered an embargo on profits from Venezuelan oil in the United States, escalating financial pressure following Nicolás Maduro’s capture and transfer to New York.
• Trump said he paused a second wave of strikes on Venezuela after initial releases of political prisoners, as rights groups reported a detainee’s death in custody.
• Cuban president Miguel Díaz-Canel asserted Cuba is a free and sovereign nation and signaled readiness to defend the country “to the last drop of blood.”
• Trump intensified online messaging, reposting a suggestion that Secretary of State Marco Rubio be president of Cuba and sharing an image presenting himself as “interim president of Venezuela.”
• Venezuela issued a communiqué defending its relationship with Cuba and emphasizing sovereignty, non‑intervention and a preference for political and diplomatic dialogue.