RismadarVoice Reporters
January 12, 2026
Cuba’s President, Miguel Díaz-Canel, has reacted defiantly to threats from United States President Donald Trump, who urged Havana to “make a deal” or face consequences following the removal of Venezuela’s President, Nicolás Maduro, in a US military operation.
Trump has intensified pressure on Cuba, one of the few remaining leftist governments in Latin America, after the capture of Maduro on January 3. Washington has since claimed it is effectively overseeing Venezuela’s affairs.
“We’re talking with Cuba,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday, shortly after calling on Havana to negotiate in order to avoid unspecified US action.
The US President also vowed to cut off all oil and financial support previously supplied to Cuba by Venezuela.
“ THERE WILL BE NO MORE OIL OR MONEY GOING TO CUBA – ZERO !” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
“I strongly suggest they make a deal, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE,” he added, without providing details of the proposed deal or the consequences of refusal.
Cuba, which is grappling with its worst economic crisis in decades, has dismissed the threats despite the loss of vital Venezuelan support.
Díaz-Canel on Monday denied that his government was engaged in negotiations with Washington, saying there were “no conversations with the US government except for technical contacts in the area of migration.”
A day earlier, the Cuban leader said the island’s citizens were “ready to defend the homeland to the last drop of blood.”
Cuba has had strained relations with the United States since the 1959 revolution that brought Fidel Castro to power. Tensions peaked during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, when the world narrowly avoided nuclear war.
During his first term, Trump reversed the diplomatic thaw initiated by former President Barack Obama. Following Maduro’s capture, Trump said Cuba was “ready to fall,” noting that fuel shortages and power outages had left the island vulnerable without subsidized Venezuelan oil.
A recent report by the Financial Times indicated that Mexican oil exports to Cuba exceeded those of Venezuela last year.
US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants and a long-time critic of Havana’s communist leadership, has also weighed in. After Maduro’s arrest, Rubio said Cuban officials “should be concerned.”
Trump on Sunday referenced Cuban-Americans who fled the island, saying his administration would “take care of the people that came from Cuba,” without providing details. He also reposted a message jokingly suggesting Rubio could one day lead Cuba.
