United States President said on Sunday that Cuba should make a deal with the US before it is “too late” and claimed that the country “lived” on “large amounts of oil and money” from Venezuela "for many years".
He also issued a threat to Cuba saying that that no money or oil will now go to the country unless they make a deal.
"THERE WILL BE NO MORE OIL OR MONEY GOING TO CUBA - ZERO! I strongly suggest they make a deal, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE," Trump wrote in a heavily-worded post on Truth Social, in his signature all-caps style.
He also claimed that in exchange of money and oil from Venezuela, Cuba provided “security services” for the last two Venezuelan “dictators”.
“BUT NOT ANYMORE!” he said.
Also read: Donald Trump’s Venezuela oil deal is already up and running
“Most of those Cubans are DEAD from last weeks U.S.A. attack, and Venezuela doesn’t need protection anymore from the thugs and extortionists who held them hostage for so many years,” the US President added.
{{/usCountry}}“Most of those Cubans are DEAD from last weeks U.S.A. attack, and Venezuela doesn’t need protection anymore from the thugs and extortionists who held them hostage for so many years,” the US President added.
{{/usCountry}}Trump also said that Venezuela now has the USA military to “protect them”.
“Venezuela now has the United States of America, the most powerful military in the World (by far!), to protect them, and protect them we will,” he wrote.
‘Marco Rubio will be Cuba’s President'?
Earlier in the day, the US President shared a screenshot of a post on X (formerly Twitter) by a user called Cliff Smith that read, “Marco Rubio will be President of Cuba” followed by a laughing emoji.
Sharing the screenshot of the post, Trump wrote, “Sounds good to me!”
How Cuba's President reacted
Moments after's Trump's ultimatum, Cuba's President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez wrote on X, “They have no moral authority to point fingers at Cuba on anything, absolutely anything, those who turn everything into a business, even human lives.”
However, he shied away from referring to the US President directly.
“Those who blame the Revolution for the severe economic shortages we suffer should hold their tongues out of shame. Because they know it and acknowledge it: they are the fruit of the draconian measures of extreme strangulation that the U.S. has been applying to us for six decades and now threatens to surpass," he added.
“#Cuba is a free, independent, and sovereign nation. No one dictates what we do. Cuba does not aggress; it is aggressed upon by the United States for 66 years, and it does not threaten; it prepares, ready to defend the Homeland to the last drop of blood.”
Political prisoners released in Venezuela
A week after Venezuela's President was “captured” by US forces, political prisoners in the South American nation were released on Saturday, including a leader of opposition leader María Corina Machado’s party, reported Bloomberg.
Reacting to their released, Trump said, “Venezuela has started the process, in a BIG WAY, of releasing their political prisoners. Thank you! I hope those prisoners will remember how lucky they got that the USA came along and did what had to be done. I HOPE THEY NEVER FORGET! If they do, it will not be good for them.”