Trump says U.S. in talks with Havana after threatening tariffs on oil shipments to Cuba
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Washington is negotiating with Cuba’s leadership to reach a deal, days after threatening to choke off the island’s fuel supply by imposing tariffs on countries that sell oil to Havana.
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The push-and-pull approach comes as the second Trump administration escalates pressure on the communist-run island following the U.S. ouster of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro last month. Venezuela, a longtime ally, had been Cuba’s most critical source of crude and refined products.
“Cuba is a failing nation. It has been for a long time, but now it doesn’t have Venezuela to prop it up,” Trump told reporters at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. In earlier posts, he warned Cuba to “make a deal soon” and declared, “NO MORE OIL OR MONEY FOR CUBA: ZERO!”
Cuba’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not confirm Trump’s claim of negotiations. In a statement posted on its website, the ministry rejected the notion that the island is a threat to U.S. security and said it hosts no foreign military or intelligence bases. It added Havana is willing to “maintain a respectful and reciprocal dialogue” with Washington.
On Thursday, Trump signed an executive order threatening additional tariffs on third countries that supply oil to Cuba—an escalation that rattled daily life across the island. By Friday, vehicles were queued in long lines at gas stations in Havana as drivers sought to refuel amid uncertainty over future deliveries.
The emerging fuel squeeze underscores how quickly sanctions can ripple through Cuba’s fragile economy, already struggling with chronic shortages and reduced hard-currency earnings. It also frames the stakes around any U.S.-Cuba talks: whether an agreement could ease energy constraints or whether a tariff regime will deepen scarcity.
Tensions flared over the weekend in central Cuba when U.S. chief of mission Mike Hammer said he encountered residents who “shouted some insults” at him while visiting Trinidad province. “I think they belong to a certain party, but I know they do not represent the Cuban people, the ordinary Cubans,” Hammer said in a video posted to X.
The State Department’s Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs condemned the incident, calling the Cuban government “illegitimate” and urging it to stop sending individuals to interfere with the diplomatic work of Hammer and the U.S. Embassy team. “Our diplomats will continue to meet with the Cuban people despite the regime’s failed intimidation,” the bureau said on X.
The administration’s posture has been shaped in part by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the Miami-born son of Cuban exiles and a prominent advocate of tougher measures on Havana. Trump and Rubio have been open about their goal of political change on the island, with the president signaling both the possibility of a deal and the threat of harsher penalties if one does not materialize.
Mexico moved to blunt the fallout. President Claudia Sheinbaum said her government plans to send humanitarian aid, including food and other products, and is working on a diplomatic pathway to continue oil shipments to the island despite the threatened U.S. tariffs. She added that she did not discuss Cuba oil supplies with Trump during their Thursday phone call.
For now, the White House’s mixed signals—negotiations on one hand, punitive tariffs on the other—leave Cuba bracing for further disruption even as it opens the door to dialogue. Whether talks gain traction may hinge on how far Washington goes in enforcing an oil squeeze, and how quickly Havana can secure alternate supplies amid tightening U.S. pressure.
By Abdiwahab Ahmed
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
