US Military Forces Capture Maduro Amid Threats to Cuba’s Economy
Economist Stephen Moore breaks down what the U.S. control of Venezuela’s oil reserve means for prices and weighs in on a report that the One Big Beautiful Bill will offset tariff negatives on Varney & Co.
The recent U.S. military operation to apprehend Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro has significant implications, particularly for Cuba’s economy. The communist nation is now facing the repercussions of losing a crucial economic and security ally.
Maduro, along with his wife, was captured over the weekend following an order from President Donald Trump to detain the couple on charges related to a narcoterrorism conspiracy. This development threatens to unravel an economic partnership that began under Maduro’s predecessor, Hugo Chávez, who established ties with Cuba in 1999.
During Chávez’s regime, Venezuela began supporting Cuba’s economy with heavily subsidized oil, which he described as placing both nations “in a sea of happiness.”
AFTER MADURO, VENEZUELA FACES HARD CHOICES TO REBUILD ITS SHATTERED ECONOMY
People walk along a street in Caracas on Jan. 4, 2026, a day after Venezuela’s dictator Nicolás Maduro was captured by U.S. forces. (Federico Parra/AFP via Getty Images)
While Cuba provided healthcare support in Venezuela, it also dispatched security and counterintelligence personnel to safeguard the Chávez regime from opposition forces. In return, Venezuela supplied Cuba with 100,000 barrels of oil daily. However, The Wall Street Journal reported that these shipments have dwindled to approximately 30,000 barrels per day due to U.S. sanctions on Venezuelan oil.
The Trump administration had aimed to halt these shipments, seizing two oil tankers off the coast of Venezuela in December as part of a blockade to prevent the flow of sanctioned Venezuelan oil.
US NOW IN CONTROL OF VENEZUELA’S OIL RESERVES, THE LARGEST IN THE WORLD: CHART
Venezuela’s oil exports have helped support Cuba’s economy under its communist regime in recent decades. (Bloomberg/Getty Images)
According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), Cuba has been a net importer of energy for over a decade, with net energy imports constituting 66.1% of its total energy supply in 2023. The Cuban economy is currently grappling with severe challenges, including a mass exodus of its population, food shortages, and frequent blackouts due to an unreliable energy grid.
Demographer Juan Carlos Albizu-Campos reports that since 2020, approximately a quarter of Cuba’s population—over 2.7 million people—have left the island.
US OIL GIANTS MUM AFTER TRUMP SAYS THEY’LL SPEND BILLIONS IN VENEZUELA
Vintage cars run on a street in Havana, the capital of Cuba, on Oct. 29, 2025. (Joaquin Hernandez/Xinhua via Getty Images)
Trump expressed his belief that Cuba is on the verge of collapse, stating, “I think it’s just going to fall. I don’t think we need any action. Looks like it’s going down. It’s going down for the count.”
TRUMP SAYS CUBA IS ‘READY TO FALL’ AFTER CAPTURE OF VENEZUELA’S MADURO
The U.S. seized two sanctioned oil tankers off the coast of Venezuela. (Stefan Sauer/picture alliance via Getty Images)
U.S. officials have indicated that Cuban security forces played a pivotal role in maintaining Maduro’s regime. Secretary of State Marco Rubio noted that Cuban operatives effectively managed Venezuela’s internal intelligence and security operations, including personally guarding Maduro and monitoring loyalty within his government.
In a tragic turn of events, the Cuban government reported that 32 military and police officers were killed during the U.S. operation in Venezuela, with state media stating these officers had been deployed at Maduro’s request.
GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE
Trump confirmed the Cuban casualties, stating, “A lot of Cubans were killed,” and emphasized that there was “a lot of death on the other side. No death on our side.”
Fox News Digital’s Bradford Betz contributed to this report.
Economist Stephen Moore breaks down what the U.S. control of Venezuela’s oil reserve means for prices and weighs in on a report that the One Big Beautiful Bill will offset tariff negatives on Varney & Co.
The recent U.S. military operation to apprehend Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro has significant implications, particularly for Cuba’s economy. The communist nation is now facing the repercussions of losing a crucial economic and security ally.
Maduro, along with his wife, was captured over the weekend following an order from President Donald Trump to detain the couple on charges related to a narcoterrorism conspiracy. This development threatens to unravel an economic partnership that began under Maduro’s predecessor, Hugo Chávez, who established ties with Cuba in 1999.
During Chávez’s regime, Venezuela began supporting Cuba’s economy with heavily subsidized oil, which he described as placing both nations “in a sea of happiness.”
AFTER MADURO, VENEZUELA FACES HARD CHOICES TO REBUILD ITS SHATTERED ECONOMY
People walk along a street in Caracas on Jan. 4, 2026, a day after Venezuela’s dictator Nicolás Maduro was captured by U.S. forces. (Federico Parra/AFP via Getty Images)
While Cuba provided healthcare support in Venezuela, it also dispatched security and counterintelligence personnel to safeguard the Chávez regime from opposition forces. In return, Venezuela supplied Cuba with 100,000 barrels of oil daily. However, The Wall Street Journal reported that these shipments have dwindled to approximately 30,000 barrels per day due to U.S. sanctions on Venezuelan oil.
The Trump administration had aimed to halt these shipments, seizing two oil tankers off the coast of Venezuela in December as part of a blockade to prevent the flow of sanctioned Venezuelan oil.
US NOW IN CONTROL OF VENEZUELA’S OIL RESERVES, THE LARGEST IN THE WORLD: CHART
Venezuela’s oil exports have helped support Cuba’s economy under its communist regime in recent decades. (Bloomberg/Getty Images)
According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), Cuba has been a net importer of energy for over a decade, with net energy imports constituting 66.1% of its total energy supply in 2023. The Cuban economy is currently grappling with severe challenges, including a mass exodus of its population, food shortages, and frequent blackouts due to an unreliable energy grid.
Demographer Juan Carlos Albizu-Campos reports that since 2020, approximately a quarter of Cuba’s population—over 2.7 million people—have left the island.
US OIL GIANTS MUM AFTER TRUMP SAYS THEY’LL SPEND BILLIONS IN VENEZUELA
Vintage cars run on a street in Havana, the capital of Cuba, on Oct. 29, 2025. (Joaquin Hernandez/Xinhua via Getty Images)
Trump expressed his belief that Cuba is on the verge of collapse, stating, “I think it’s just going to fall. I don’t think we need any action. Looks like it’s going down. It’s going down for the count.”
TRUMP SAYS CUBA IS ‘READY TO FALL’ AFTER CAPTURE OF VENEZUELA’S MADURO
The U.S. seized two sanctioned oil tankers off the coast of Venezuela. (Stefan Sauer/picture alliance via Getty Images)
U.S. officials have indicated that Cuban security forces played a pivotal role in maintaining Maduro’s regime. Secretary of State Marco Rubio noted that Cuban operatives effectively managed Venezuela’s internal intelligence and security operations, including personally guarding Maduro and monitoring loyalty within his government.
In a tragic turn of events, the Cuban government reported that 32 military and police officers were killed during the U.S. operation in Venezuela, with state media stating these officers had been deployed at Maduro’s request.
GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE
Trump confirmed the Cuban casualties, stating, “A lot of Cubans were killed,” and emphasized that there was “a lot of death on the other side. No death on our side.”
Fox News Digital’s Bradford Betz contributed to this report.
