A standoff between the US and Cuba has intensified after President Donald Trump moved to block oil shipments to the island, particularly following US actions against Venezuela.
Cuba has faced repeated nationwide blackouts as its aging power grid struggles under fuel shortages, with the government saying it has not received oil from foreign suppliers for months and produces only about 40% of the fuel it needs.
Experts note the blockade has hit Cuba’s energy infrastructure hard, triggering outages that have left millions without power and forced hospitals and businesses to shut down.
The pressure has pushed Cuba’s economy into crisis, with fuel shortages and long-standing structural issues leading to widespread shortages, blackouts, and disruptions to essential services.
Hospitals have been forced to cancel procedures, schools have closed, and tourism, one of Cuba’s key economic sectors, has struggled to recover.
The crisis is made worse by what experts describe as a rigid, centralized economic system and slow reform, which has limited the country’s ability to adapt.
Trump’s administration has warned other countries against supplying fuel to Cuba, threatening tariffs as part of the pressure strategy, further isolating the island economically.
Cuban officials have pushed back strongly, with Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernández de Cossío saying the country is prepared for “the possibility of military aggression” and stressing that Cuba’s political system is non-negotiable.
