Cuba’s oil shortage deepened on Thursday as the island struggled with worsening fuel supply disruptions, prolonged electricity blackouts and mounting economic pressure linked to renewed US sanctions and trade restrictions.
The crisis unfolded as Central Intelligence Agency Director John Ratcliffe visited Havana in a rare high-level contact between the United States and Cuba, highlighting the increasingly fragile state of relations between the two countries.
The Central Intelligence Agency confirmed the visit after Cuban authorities announced the meeting. Photographs released by the agency on X showed Ratcliffe meeting Ramon Romero Curbelo, head of intelligence at Cuba’s Interior Ministry, alongside several other Cuban officials whose identities were concealed.
The visit came as Cuba faced severe energy shortages caused by declining oil imports and tightening US restrictions on fuel supplies. Energy Minister Vicente de la O Levy told state television that oil delivered by a Russian tanker had already been exhausted.
“The impact of the blockade is indeed causing us significant harm... because we are still not receiving fuel,” he said.
The minister’s remarks underscored the scale of the island’s energy crisis, which has left large parts of the country without reliable electricity. Eastern Cuba suffered another major outage on Thursday, while some areas later saw partial restoration of power.
Data compiled by AFP showed that around 65% of Cuban territory experienced simultaneous blackouts on Tuesday as electricity generation shortfalls reached critical levels. Residents in several districts of Havana protested against the outages by banging pots and pans and chanting demands for electricity.
“Turn on the lights!” residents shouted during demonstrations in Playa, a western district of the capital.
The Cuban government has blamed the crisis largely on US sanctions and fuel restrictions introduced under President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly signalled support for regime change in Cuba. Havana says the measures have severely disrupted fuel imports, electricity generation and broader economic activity.
Only one oil tanker from Russia, historically one of Cuba’s most important energy partners, has recently managed to reach the island. Officials said that supply has now been fully depleted, worsening pressure on the national grid and transport systems.
The crisis has intensified concerns over Cuba’s energy security and economic stability as the country remains heavily dependent on imported fuel for power generation. Persistent shortages have disrupted industry, public services and household electricity supply, adding to inflationary pressure and weakening domestic productivity.
According to CBS News, citing unnamed US officials, the Trump administration is also considering legal action against Raul Castro, the 94-year-old brother of former Cuban leader Fidel Castro.
Despite the heightened tensions, Cuban authorities described Ratcliffe’s visit as part of ongoing political dialogue between the two countries.
The meeting took place “in a context marked by the complexity of bilateral relations, with the aim of contributing to the political dialogue between both nations,” a Cuban government statement said.
The statement added that discussions demonstrated “categorically that Cuba does not constitute a threat to US national security” and argued there was no justification for keeping Cuba on the US list of state sponsors of terrorism.
Cuban officials also rejected allegations regarding foreign hostile operations from the island, including claims linked to a Chinese presence in Cuba.
One of Havana’s remaining economic lifelines was further weakened in January after US-backed pressure intensified against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, a key supplier of subsidised oil to Cuba. The resulting constraints on Venezuelan fuel exports added to supply disruptions already affecting the Caribbean nation.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio recently renewed an offer of $100 million in aid to Cuba on the condition that the assistance be distributed through the Catholic Church rather than the Cuban government.
Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel responded by urging Washington to ease sanctions instead.
“The damage could be eased in a much simpler and faster way by lifting or relaxing the blockade, since it is known that the humanitarian situation is coldly calculated and induced,” he said on X.
Despite the diplomatic tensions, bilateral engagement has continued. A high-level meeting took place in Havana on 10 April, marking the first landing of a US government aircraft in the Cuban capital since 2016.
The worsening fuel shortages and electricity outages are now emerging as one of the most serious challenges facing Cuba’s economy, with the island struggling to stabilise power generation amid constrained oil imports and growing public frustration.
