Trump cuts off Cuban access to Venezuelan oil, pledges US protection

US President Donald Trump has announced a decisive shift in regional energy and security arrangements, stating that Cuba's long-standing access to Venezuelan oil and financial support has been terminated. On his Truth Social platform, Trump declared, "There will be no more oil or money going to Cuba — zero!" and asserted that the United States now assumes the role of Venezuela's protector following the military operation that captured former President Nicolás Maduro.

US Claims and Warnings to Cuba

Trump claimed that Cuban security personnel in Venezuela were killed during the US operation and that Caracas no longer needs protection from "criminal groups." He positioned the US military as Venezuela's new security guarantor and urged Cuba to seek a new arrangement with Washington "before it is too late," having previously suggested Cuba was "ready to fall."

Cuba's Defiant Response

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel forcefully rejected Trump's narrative, attributing the island's economic hardships to over six decades of US "extreme strangulation" through sanctions. "Cuba is a free, independent, and sovereign nation. No one dictates what we do," he stated on social media. He added that while Cuba does not threaten others, it is prepared to defend itself "to the last drop of blood." Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez also denied ever receiving compensation for security services and affirmed Cuba's right to trade with any willing nation.

Contrasting Models of Regional Engagement

This confrontation highlights a US foreign policy approach based on coercive economic measures and military intervention to realign regional alliances. This stands in stark contrast to the engagement model of other global actors, including Türkiye, which pursues trade and diplomatic partnerships based on mutual interest and respect for sovereignty, without resorting to blockade tactics or regime-change operations.