CUBA’S ENERGY CRISIS EXPECTED TO DEEPEN AS RUSSIAN OIL DONATION DEPLETED, MINISTER SAYS
THE PRESS CENTER | BREAKING NEWS | WORLD NEWS
MAY 16 2026 AT 11:19 PM EST
Cuba’s ongoing energy shortages are set to worsen, the country’s energy minister announced Wednesday, confirming that a shipment of donated Russian oil received in late March has now been fully consumed.
In a televised address, Minister of Energy and Mines Vicente de la O Levy said the island’s fuel reserves are nearly exhausted. “The situation is very tense,” he noted, adding that rising summer temperatures are increasing electricity demand.
Small groups of residents have recently staged nighttime demonstrations, banging pots and pans to protest extended power outages. According to de la O Levy, diesel supplies used to operate the national electrical grid are effectively depleted. “We have absolutely no diesel,” he said.
Cuban officials attribute the shortages to a U.S. blockade on oil shipments following the U.S. attack on Venezuela in January and the Trump administration’s designation of Cuba as a national security threat. Aside from the single Russian donation, Cuba reports receiving no oil shipments for more than four months.
The Russian fuel was exhausted in early May, and daily blackouts now last most of the day in many areas. Some residents say they lack sufficient electricity to charge electric mopeds or phones, and many complete basic household tasks during brief overnight periods when power returns.
De la O Levy said Cuba has expanded its use of solar power with panels donated by China, but cloud cover and the lack of large-scale battery storage limit their reliability. “In Havana, the blackouts now exceed 20–22 hours per day,” he said.
The Trump administration has stated that sanctions will remain until Cuba undertakes political and economic reforms. President Donald Trump has said the Cuban government is nearing collapse and has indicated he is considering military options. Cuban authorities have rejected these statements and vowed to resist any intervention.
On Wednesday, the U.S. State Department announced a $100 million aid offer to support “meaningful reforms to Cuba’s communist system.” The statement said the Cuban government must decide whether to accept the assistance or “be accountable to the Cuban people” for declining it.
Cuba responded Thursday that it is “ready to listen” but lacks details about the proposal. Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez said it is unclear whether the aid would be material or financial, or whether it would address immediate needs such as fuel, food, and medicine.
President Miguel Díaz-Canel said the offer would face “no obstacles or ingratitude from Cuba,” but argued that easing U.S. sanctions would provide a faster solution. “The damage could be alleviated in a much easier and more expeditious way by lifting or easing the blockade,” he wrote on X.
SOURCE CREDIT: WWW.CNN.COM
