Cuban president says no talks with US amid Trump’s escalating threats

Cuban president says no talks with US amid Trump’s escalating threatsDiaz-Canel rejects Trump’s threats, emphasising Cuba’s independence and commitment to defending its sovereignty.Published On 12 Jan 2026Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel has said that there are no current talks between Havana and the United States, as US President Donald Trump ratchets up threats against Cuba following his attack on Venezuela.Diaz-Canel stated in a social media post on Monday that routine coordination on immigration continues between Cuba and the US, but that no larger talks are currently taking place.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Trump warns Cuba to make a deal with the US ‘before it is too late’list 2 of 3Maduro abduction shows influence, limits of US Secretary of State Rubiolist 3 of 3‘Only time will tell’: Trump says US role in Venezuela could last for yearsend of list“We have always been willing to maintain serious and responsible dialogue with the various US administrations, including the current one, on the basis of sovereign equality, mutual respect and the principles of international law,” Diaz-Canel said.He added that relations between the US and Cuba should be based on international law rather than “hostility, threats, and economic coercion”.Trump has said that the US could ramp up pressure on Cuba after the US abduction of Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro in a January 3 attack that killed at least 100 people, including 32 members of the Cuban security forces in the country for security cooperation.The US president stated on Sunday that Venezuelan oil supplies to Cuba would be cut off and that the government in Havana should “make a deal” with the US before it’s “too late”. Trump also told reporters that the US was “talking to Cuba” without offering further details.Diaz-Canel responded to Trump’s comments on Sunday by saying that Cuba was a “free, independent, and sovereign” country and would defend itself “to the last drop of blood”.Venezuelan oil was an important economic lifeline to Cuba, isolated and under heavy US sanctions, providing 35,000 barrels of oil per day before the US attack, according to estimates from Jorge Pinon of the Energy Institute at the University of Texas at Austin.