Cuban President Diaz-Canel receptive to US assistance due to deepening fuel crisis and blackouts

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel has indicated that Havana would accept humanitarian aid from the United States if delivered in accordance with internationally recognized practices. However, he stressed that if the true aim was to alleviate the suffering of the Cuban people, the US should instead lift its trade embargo on the island.

Diaz-Canel’s remarks, shared in a social media post on Thursday, came a day after the US offered $100 million in humanitarian aid to Cuba. He wrote that Cuba would not present “obstacles or ingratitude” if the US government genuinely intended to provide the announced aid “in full accordance with universally recognised humanitarian practices.” The US offer, nevertheless, was contingent on Cuba’s government instituting “meaningful reforms.” Diaz-Canel characterized this offer as paradoxical, given what he termed the “systematic and ruthless” punishment inflicted by the US government on the Cuban people. He asserted that the “humanitarian situation is known to be coldly calculated and deliberately induced” and could be alleviated more swiftly by lifting or easing the blockade.

Cuba, situated merely 150 kilometers (90 miles) from US shores, has been under a comprehensive trade embargo by the United States since the 1960s. US pressure on Cuba’s government intensified significantly since President Donald Trump took office. His administration initiated measures such as cutting the flow of funds and fuel from Venezuela to Cuba and threatening steep tariffs against any country supplying Havana with oil, effectively implementing a de facto fuel blockade. These actions have resulted in island-wide blackouts, severe energy shortages, and a halt in public services, including at hospitals. Diaz-Canel noted in his Thursday message that basic supplies like fuel, food, and medicines have become critically scarce.

His comments followed a warning from Cuba’s Energy Minister Vicente de la O Levy that the country had completely run out of diesel and fuel oil, exacerbating the island’s energy crisis. Meanwhile, the Trump administration has openly stated its goal is to achieve regime change in Havana, where communist leaders have faced accusations of violent repression.

On Wednesday, the US Department of State publicly restated its offer of an additional $100 million in direct humanitarian assistance, following private negotiations with the Cuban government to exchange aid for reforms. The State Department declared that the “decision rests with the Cuban regime to accept our offer of assistance or deny critical life-saving aid and ultimately be accountable to the Cuban people for standing in the way of critical assistance.”

Media reports suggest the Trump administration has privately pressured Diaz-Canel to step down, although such a move would likely retain much of the island’s communist leadership. Trump has publicly cited his strategy in Venezuela as a model for how he wishes to see adversarial governments change.

Concurrently, on Thursday, a US delegation led by CIA Director John Ratcliffe met with Cuban officials in Havana, including Raul “Raulito” Rodriguez Castro, the grandson of former President Raul Castro. Both parties discussed potential cooperation on regional and international security. According to a Cuban government statement, Havana conveyed to the US delegation that Cuba does not pose a threat to US national security, a claim made by the Trump administration.

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