Key points
- Pressure increases after Venezuela oil support ends
- US threatens tariffs on oil suppliers
- Fuel shortages spark long queues in Havana
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that Washington was in talks with Cuba’s top leadership about a potential agreement, just days after he threatened to inflict a virtual oil blockade on the island nation’s struggling economy.
According to AFP, Trump made the remarks at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, following reports that Washington had stepped up pressure on Havana. “Cuba is a failing nation. It has been for a long time, but now it doesn’t have Venezuela to prop it up,” Trump told reporters. “So we’re talking to the people from Cuba, the highest people in Cuba, to see what happens. I think we’re going to make a deal with Cuba.” He offered no specifics about what such a deal might include.
Trump’s second administration has intensified its economic pressure on the communist-run Caribbean state since the January 3 ouster of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, a key ally that had provided essential oil exports to Cuba. On Thursday, Trump signed an executive order threatening additional tariffs on countries that continue to sell oil to Cuba. The following day, long queues formed at petrol stations in Havana.
Shouting insults
Mike Hammer, the US charge d’affaires in Cuba, said he encountered residents shouting insults during a visit to central Cuba, a development he said was likely driven by partisan elements rather than the broader population. The US State Department’s Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs criticised what it called “repressive acts” by the Cuban regime to interfere with US diplomatic work, saying its diplomats will continue engaging with the Cuban people despite intimidation.
Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the Miami-born son of Cuban exiles, have both publicly supported regime change in Havana. After Maduro’s removal, Trump warned Cuba to make a deal quickly or face consequences, declaring “NO MORE OIL OR MONEY FOR CUBA: ZERO!” on social media.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said her government plans to send humanitarian aid, including food and other supplies, while pursuing diplomatic efforts to continue oil deliveries despite the threatened tariffs. For its part, Cuba’s government has accused the United States of trying to economically strangle the island, where daily power cuts are worsening and fuel queues continue to grow.
