U.S. President Donald Trump urged Cuba on Sunday (January 11, 2026) to "make a deal" or face unspecified consequences, warning that the flow of Venezuelan oil and money to Havana would now stop. "THERE WILL BE NO MORE OIL OR MONEY GOING TO CUBA - ZERO!" In his own post soon afterwards, Mr. Trump said that "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!" Under a U.S. trade embargo, Havana since 2000 has increasingly relied on Venezuelan oil provided as part of a deal struck with Maduro's predecessor Hugo Chavez.

Source: The Hindu January 11, 2026 17:52 UTC