US President Donald Trump•©️AFP
On 11 January, US President Donald Trump issued an unequivocal warning to Cuba that the island will no longer receive oil or financial support from Venezuela, Havana's main energy supplier. In a context of acute economic crisis, the White House leader urged the Cuban authorities to conclude an agreement with the United States, according to information reported by Reuters.
In a message published on Sunday on his social network Truth Social, Donald Trump called on the Cuban government to "make an agreement before it is too late". According to the U.S. President, this break is the direct consequence of the change in power ratio in Caracas. Since the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro by American forces, Washington has reportedly obtained from interim President Delcy Rodríguez that Venezuelan oil exports are redirected to the United States.
Venezuela has so far been Cuba's leading supplier of oil. According to maritime transport data and documents from PDVSA, Caracas shipped between January and November last year about 27,000 barrels of oil per day to the island, covering almost 50% of its energy deficit.
The United States intelligence services provide a disturbing picture of the Cuban situation. According to Reuters, the CIA believes that key sectors of the economy, including agriculture and tourism, are heavily affected by recurrent power outages, trade sanctions and structural difficulties in the country.
The loss of Venezuelan oil could exacerbate the fragility of the Cuban regime, in power since the 1959 revolution led by Fidel Castro, further complicating the economic and social management of the country already facing a deep crisis.
W.A.
