Havana (TDI): Russia has warned that Cuba’s energy situation has reached a critical point, while directly accusing the United States of using “suffocating” measures that threaten the island’s economic stability and social cohesion.
On Monday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov voiced Moscow’s alarm, describing Cuba’s fuel shortage as “really critical” and asserting that US pressure is inflicting severe hardships on the small island state.
He also added that Russia is in active talks with Cuban authorities to explore avenues for assistance and avert further deterioration of living conditions.
The crisis has roots in aggressive US sanctions and geopolitical maneuvers under President Donald Trump’s administration.
After US forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in a controversial early-January operation, Washington cut off oil supplies from Venezuela; historically Cuba’s most important energy partner, and threatened tariffs on any other nation, including Mexico, that continues fuel shipments.
Cuba’s government has implemented emergency measures to cope with the acute shortage, including rationing fuel, reducing work weeks for state companies, shuttering universities, and cutting school hours.
Read More: Mexico Sends Over 800 Tons of Humanitarian Aid to Cuba
Power plants are struggling to keep lights on, public transport has partially ground to a halt in the capital, and the country has warned that jet fuel will be unavailable at major airports until at least March 11, a move that has prompted airlines such as Air Canada to suspend services.
Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez denounced US actions as “cruel aggression” intended to break the “political will of the Cuban people,” even as Havana signals a willingness to engage in dialogue with Washington but only on its own terms, without external pressure or demands for political change.
President Miguel Díaz-Canel echoed this sentiment, underscoring Cuba’s insistence on sovereignty and self-determination in any talks.
Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum strongly criticized the sanctions as unjust and harmful to ordinary Cubans, pledging diplomatic efforts to restore fuel shipments. Yet, Mexico remains wary of US retaliation given its deep economic ties with Washington.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has also cautioned that Cuba risks a broader humanitarian collapse if energy needs go unmet, while nations like Spain and Turkey, also affected by flight disruptions, watch closely as the crisis unfolds.
