Trump Threatens to Cut Venezuelan Oil and Funds to Cuba After Maduro Seizure

Overview

• On Truth Social, the U.S. president warned there will be “no more oil or money for Cuba” and urged Havana to “make a deal before it is too late.”
• He amplified a provocative post suggesting Senator Marco Rubio as “president of Cuba,” adding his approval.
• President Miguel Díaz-Canel replied that Cuba is a “free, independent and sovereign” nation and said the island stands ready to defend the homeland “to the last drop of blood.”
• Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez denied that Cuba received payment for security services in Venezuela and asserted Cuba’s right to import fuel from willing suppliers.
• A day earlier, the White House ordered an embargo on profits from Venezuelan oil in the U.S., as Venezuela’s interim authorities began limited releases of political prisoners with about 21 reported freed.