Cuban Government Engages in Dialogue with US Over Oil Shortages

(MENAFN) Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel announced that his government is holding discussions with the US administration to address longstanding differences, as the island nation continues to suffer from the effects of an ongoing US oil blockade.

Díaz-Canel noted that “no fuel had entered Cuba in three months,” highlighting the severity of the situation. He said that the talks are still in their early stages and that he is leading the Cuban side of the negotiations, speaking during a national broadcast on Friday.

US President Donald Trump described Cuba as being in “deep trouble” on Monday and threatened a “friendly takeover” of the country. Since returning to office, Trump has expressed a desire to change Cuba’s leadership and has warned that tariffs could be imposed on imports from countries supplying oil to Cuba.

The White House reportedly told media outlets that “as the president stated, we are talking to Cuba, whose leaders should make a deal, which he believes ‘would be very easily made.’”

Cuba relies heavily on imported oil to power its electricity grid, but US authorities have intercepted several shipments bound for the island. Previously, Venezuela supplied around 35,000 barrels of oil per day to Cuba, covering roughly half of the nation’s fuel needs, but this arrangement was disrupted following US actions against Venezuela, including a raid that captured President Nicolás Maduro in early January.

Díaz-Canel explained that the three-month halt in fuel shipments has led to a gradual depletion of diesel and fuel oil reserves, leaving Cuba’s electrical grid increasingly “unstable.” To cope, the country has boosted domestic crude and gas production and increased solar energy generation.

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