Trump warns Cuba to ‘strike deal with U.S. before it is too late’

12 JANUARY 2026

U.S. President Donald Trump urged Cuba to “make a deal” or face unspecified consequences, warning that the flow of Venezuelan oil and money to Havana would now stop.
Mr. Trump reposted a message suggesting that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio could become the President of Cuba. Mr. Trump shared that post with the comment: “Sounds good to me!”
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!”
Cuba’s President Miguel Diaz-Canel rebuffed Mr. Donald Trump’s threat against his country, vowing to defend.
He said that Cuba has the right to import fuel from any country willing to export it.
Mr. Rodriguez accused the U.S. of behaving in a “criminal” manner that threatens global peace.
Under a U.S. trade embargo, Havana since 2000 has increasingly relied on Venezuelan oil provided as part of a deal struck with Nicolas Maduro’s predecessor Hugo Chavez.