President Donald Trump, speaking to reporters aboard Airforce 1, en route Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, predicted economic hardship for Cuba following the U.S.-led intervention that ousted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

Trump claimed Cuba’s economy is heavily reliant on Venezuelan subsidies: “Cuba will always survive because of Venezuela. Now they don’t have that money coming in.” He added: “You know, a lot of Cubans were killed yesterday. There was a lot of death on the other side, no death on our side.”

The remarks appeared to reference clashes in Venezuela after Maduro’s capture and extradition to the U.S. on drug-trafficking charges. Trump described the operation as “about peace on Earth” when asked if it was driven by oil or regime change.

On Venezuela’s interim leadership, including Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, Trump said: “We haven’t gotten to that yet. Right now, what we want to do is fix up the oil, fix up the country, bring the country back, and then have elections.”

The comments drew swift criticism for downplaying casualties and prioritizing resource control, with opponents accusing the administration of neo-imperialism. No independent confirmation of Cuban deaths in Venezuelan unrest has emerged.