Cuban president responds to Trump warnings over island

Jan. 12 (UPI) -- Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel has responded harshly to public warnings issued by U.S. President Donald Trump as tensions between Havana and Washington escalated.

Trump issued an ultimatum on his social media platform saying there would be "no more oil or money" from Venezuela for Cuba and suggesting the island should "reach a deal before it is too late" -- a move aimed at pressuring the Cuban government to negotiate or change course.

Díaz-Canel replied on X.

In a series of posts Sunday, the Cuban leader rejected the U.S. warnings and defended the country's sovereignty.

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"Cuba is a free, independent and sovereign nation. No one dictates what we do," he wrote.

With that message, Díaz-Canel made clear the Cuban government will not accept external pressure or ultimatums to define its political or economic direction.

He also said the United States "has no moral authority to lecture Cuba about anything" and accused Washington of turning even human lives into a business and acting out of "rage" toward the political system chosen by the Cuban people.

Díaz-Canel said the island's severe economic hardships are the result of "draconian measures of extreme suffocation" imposed by the United States for more than six decades and now being intensified.

He added that Cuba "does not attack anyone, it is attacked by the United States," and said the Cuban people are prepared to defend the country "to the last drop of blood."

Trump further escalated his rhetoric in a post on Truth Social, where he reacted positively to a joke suggesting Secretary of State Marco Rubio could become president of Cuba.

"Sounds good to me," Trump wrote while sharing an X post by user @Cliff_Smith_1 that joked about a scenario in which "Marco Rubio will be president of Cuba."

The Cuban response comes amid growing concern on the island over a possible interruption in Venezuelan oil supplies, which are critical for an economy already struggling with energy shortages and frequent blackouts.

Venezuela is Cuba's largest oil supplier, but no shipments have departed Venezuelan ports for the Caribbean nation amid a strict U.S. oil blockade on the South American country, a member of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, according to shipping data cited by France 24.

Although Venezuelan crude and fuel shipments to Cuba have declined in recent years, the country remained Cuba's top supplier in 2025, exporting about 26,500 barrels a day, according to vessel tracking data and internal documents from state oil company PDVSA. That volume covered about 50% of Cuba's oil deficit.

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez said in a separate X post Sunday that Cuba has the right to import fuel from any supplier willing to export it.

He also denied that Cuba received financial or material compensation in exchange for providing security services to any country.

In recent weeks, Mexico has emerged as a key alternative oil supplier for Cuba, though volumes remain limited, according to shipping data.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said last week that Mexico has not increased supply volumes but that, given recent political developments in Venezuela, the country has become an "important supplier" of crude to Cuba.

Trump's decision to cut off that support has been widely seen as part of a broader pressure strategy against Havana, intensified after a U.S. military operation in Caracas that led to the capture of Nicolás Maduro.