Overview
- Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez met Vladimir Putin in Moscow, where Putin called new U.S. restrictions on Cuba unacceptable and Sergey Lavrov urged Washington to forgo any naval blockade.
- Russia reaffirmed support for Cuba’s sovereignty and security, yet offered no public commitment on fuel quantities or timelines despite reports it is considering humanitarian shipments.
- The White House said it is in Cuba’s best interest to make very dramatic changes soon, following Trump’s executive order authorizing tariffs on third countries that supply oil to the island.
- Mexico has paused fuel shipments but is sending food aid by navy vessels, while Venezuela halted crude deliveries in January after Nicolás Maduro’s capture.
- Cuba’s fuel shortfall has triggered blackouts, strict rationing, curtailed transport and school schedules, and a jet-fuel shortage that led airlines to suspend flights to the island.