Cuban diplomat Carlos de Cossio has accused the United States of imposing collective punishment on his country as the administration of President Donald Trump ramps up pressure to choke the Caribbean island’s access to oil. In a post on X, de Cossio, Cuba’s deputy foreign minister, said the US is applying threats and coercive measures to any country that provides fuel to Cuba. He stated that the lack of fuel harms transportation, medical services, schooling, energy, production of food, and the standard of living, calling such 'massive punishment' a crime. Cuba relied heavily on oil imports from Venezuela, which were cut off after the abduction of the country’s leader, Nicolas Maduro, by US forces last month. After the fall of Maduro, Cuba turned to Mexico for fuel, but the White House threatened additional tariffs on countries providing oil to Cuba, leading Mexico to halt supplies. However, Mexico recently sent two ships with humanitarian aid to Cuba. The US oil blockade aligns with the Trump administration's stated goal to 'restore American preeminence in the Western Hemisphere'. With Maduro gone, many US foreign policy hawks see an opportunity to topple the Cuban government. Washington has had hostile relations with Havana since the 1959 communist revolution. Trump has argued the Cuban government is 'ready to fall' without Venezuelan oil. Last month, the White House labelled Cuba an 'unusual and extraordinary threat'. Havana has issued defiant statements but also expressed willingness to engage in diplomacy, stating it is open to a 'respectful and reciprocal dialogue' based on mutual interest and international law.