In order to avoid a humanitarian crisis, Cuba needs to strike a deal with the United States ruling class, said President Donald Trump issuing an ultimatum. Things are looking “very bad” for the Caribbean nation now that it has lost access to Venezuelan oil, Trump said.
The Financial Times [behind a paywall] claimed earlier that Cuba only has enough oil to last 15 to 20 days at the current level of demand and domestic production.
After Attacking Venezuela, Trump Threatens 3 More Latin Countries
This most recent ultimatum comes just one month after the kidnapping of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by the U.S. military. Maduro’s country had served as Havana’s primary source of oil.
According to a report by RT, earlier this week, Trump signed an executive order to impose tariffs on goods from any country that sells oil to Cuba, further strengthening an embargo against the Caribbean nation that dates back to the 1960s.
In recent weeks, Mexico has increased oil deliveries to Cuba in an attempt to make up the shortfalls. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum warned on Friday that the US president’s commands could “trigger a large-scale humanitarian crisis, directly affecting hospitals, food supplies, and other basic services for the Cuban people.”
When asked about Sheinbaum’s comment by journalists aboard Air Force One on Saturday, Trump said: “Well, it doesn’t have to be a humanitarian crisis. I think they probably would come to us and want to make a deal. So Cuba would be free again.”
“We have a situation that’s very bad for Cuba. They have no money. They have no oil… They lived off Venezuelan money and oil, and none of that’s coming now,” he said.
Cuban rulers have declared an “international emergency” over Trump’s pressure campaign, which they are describing as an “extraordinary threat” originating in “the US anti-Cuban neo-fascist right wing.”
The U.S. has been accused of plotting a regime change in Cuba, much like the one it conducted in Venezuela. The military operation in Venezuela directly affected Cuba. It was also one of the countries Trump threatened in the aftermath of the Venezuela debacle.
U.S. Is Plotting A Regime Change In Cuba
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