Published: 12:34 PM, 13 January 2026
Cuban President vows to defend his country defying White House threat
Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel hit back on Saturday at U.S. President Donald Trump's threat against his country, vowing to defend it after Washington captured the leader of his ally Venezuela, reports Daily Sabah.
"Cuba is a free, independent and sovereign nation. No one tells us what to do," Diaz-Canel wrote on X, adding that the Caribbean island was "ready to defend the homeland to the last drop of blood." Trump on Sunday said no more Venezuelan oil or money will go to Cuba and suggested the Communist-run island should strike a deal with Washington, ramping up pressure on the long-time U.S. nemesis.
Venezuela is Cuba's biggest oil supplier, but no cargoes have departed from Venezuelan ports to the Caribbean country since the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by U.S. forces in early January amid a strict U.S. oil blockade on the OPEC country, shipping data shows.
Meanwhile, Caracas and Washington are progressing on a $2 billion deal to supply up to 50 million barrels of Venezuelan oil to the U.S. with proceeds to be deposited in U.S.
Treasury-supervised accounts, a major test of the emerging relationship between Trump and interim President Delcy Rodriguez.
Donald Trump's push on Cuba represents the latest escalation in his move to bring regional powers in line with the United States and underscores the seriousness of the administration's ambition to dominate the Western Hemisphere. Trump's top officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, have made no secret of their expectation that the recent U.S. intervention in Venezuela could push Cuba over the edge.
U.S. officials have hardened their rhetoric against Cuba in recent weeks, though the two countries have been at odds since former leader Fidel Castro's 1959 revolution.
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez said in another post on X on Sunday that Cuba had the right to import fuel from
any suppliers willing to export it. He also denied that Cuba had received financial or other "material" compensation in return for security services provided to any country.
