President Donald Trump has claimed that Cuba is on the brink of collapse following the arrest of Nicolás Maduro, the leader of Venezuela and a key ally of Havana.
Okay News reports that Trump made the remarks on Sunday while speaking to journalists aboard Air Force One, arguing that Cuba would struggle to survive without access to heavily subsidised Venezuelan oil.
“Cuba is ready to fall,” Trump said. “It’s going to be very hard for them to hold out without that oil. I don’t think we need any action. It looks like it’s going down.”
Maduro was taken into custody a day earlier by US forces in Caracas in what Washington described as a law-enforcement operation linked to longstanding allegations of “narco-terrorism.”
The move has triggered sharp criticism across Europe and Latin America, with governments including Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Uruguay and Spain condemning the action as a “dangerous precedent for peace and regional security.”
Despite the backlash, Trump escalated his rhetoric, turning his attention to Colombia and its president, Gustavo Petro.
He accused the administration in Bogotá of criminal activity and described both Venezuela and Colombia as “very sick” states.
Referring to Petro, Trump told reporters, “He’s not going to be doing it very long. Let me tell you.” When asked if his comments implied a possible US military action against Colombia, the US president replied, “Sounds good to me.”
Petro reacted strongly, warning Trump against what he described as insults and intimidation. In a series of posts, the Colombian leader urged countries in Latin America to unite or risk being treated “as a servant and slave.”
He added that while the United States had historically used force in the region, retaliation was not the answer. “The US is the first country in the world to bomb a South American capital in all of human history,” Petro wrote, stressing that vengeance would only deepen instability.
According to Petro, the path forward lies in regional cooperation and global engagement. “Latin America must come together and grow into a region with the capacity to understand, trade, and join together with the whole world,” he said. “We do not look only to the north, but in all directions.”
Trump’s comments have intensified diplomatic tensions across the Americas, coming amid uncertainty over the legal and political consequences of Maduro’s arrest and fears that the episode could further strain regional security and international norms.
