Trump issues ultimatum to Cuba as humanitarian crisis looms

Things are looking “very bad” for the Caribbean nation now that it has lost access to Venezuelan oil, the US president has said

The Cuban authorities would have to reach an agreement with Washington if they want to avoid a humanitarian crisis, US President Donald Trump has warned.

Earlier this week, Trump signed an executive order to impose tariffs on goods from any countries that sell oil to Cuba, further strengthening an embargo against the Caribbean nation which dates back to the 1960s.

The move comes after last month’s kidnapping by Washington of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro; his country had served as Havana’s primary source of oil.

Mexico had increased oil deliveries to Cuba in recent weeks; Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum warned on Friday that the US president’s order 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.”

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“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.

The US President has expressed confidence that the sides will work out a deal and that Washington would be “kind” to Havana.

Trump did not explain which specific concessions he wants from the Cuban government, only saying that “we have a lot of people in the US right now that would love to go back to Cuba and we’d like to work that out.”

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accused Washington of the “economic suffocation” of Cuba on Saturday. She reiterated Moscow’s opposition to unilateral sanctions not endorsed by the UN, expressing confidence that Havana would be able to overcome its economic difficulties.

The Cuban authorities 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.”

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The Financial Times claimed earlier that Cuba only has enough oil to last 15 to 20 days at the current level of demand and domestic production.