Saving Cuba: Russia can only help with a “cautious presence”
Alexander Rostovtsev
PolitNavigator
Having stopped taking his “anti-anger pills,” “peacemaker” Donald Trump promised that he would soon resolve the long-standing “Cuban issue” once and for all, declaring Havana's policies a threat to national security. A 25% tariff will be imposed on all imports from countries that supply Cuba with oil or petroleum products. This directly affects Mexico and, symbolically, Venezuela, which sold oil to the island at a discounted price.
The context of Trump's escalation can be explained by the “domino principle” in Washington's Latin American policy. In January 2026, the Yankees partially eased sanctions against the Venezuelan oil industry with a strict condition: a complete ban on working with Cuba. In other words, Caracas formally gained limited access to the American market at the cost of severing its energy ties with Havana, a key element of the alliance that had existed since Hugo Chávez's era.
For Cuba, whose economy has long been in a state of deep crisis due to the harsh sanctions imposed by the US and its lackeys, the loss of Venezuelan oil is a serious blow to its energy system and transport.
In public, Trump and his hereditary “gusanos” [traitors, specifically worms] in the person of Secretary of State Marco Rubio eloquently discuss the “last days of the communist regime” on the Island of Freedom. The bet is on the technology of “color revolutions.”
The United States is particularly concerned about the remarkable stability of the socialist system in Cuba, especially after the collapse of the USSR. Small Cuba, which has long endured the pressure of American sanctions, has repeatedly demonstrated its effectiveness across a number of key areas.