Cuba Weighs $100M US Aid Offer as Energy Crisis Deepens

BBC Business reported Thursday that Cuba has signaled openness to a $100M US aid offer, even as the island’s Cuba energy crisis accelerates and rare street demonstrations rattle Havana.

Cuba Signals Willingness to Talk

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez said Havana was prepared to hear full details of the American proposal and how it would be delivered. He noted the government does not routinely turn down aid offered in genuine good faith. However, Rodríguez said it remained unclear whether Washington intended to provide cash or assistance in-kind. He added that the most meaningful US contribution would be to ease the commercial and financial blockade, which he said had “intensified as never before” in recent months.

Washington Sets Conditions on Aid Distribution

The US State Department renewed its offer Wednesday but attached firm conditions. Any assistance would need to flow through the Catholic Church and other independent humanitarian organisations, bypassing the Cuban government entirely. The department framed the choice starkly, saying Havana must now decide whether to accept help or deny its citizens critical relief. Secretary of State Marco Rubio had previously claimed Cuba rejected an earlier $100M offer outright. Havana denied that characterisation.

How Cuba Reached This Point

Cuba’s power infrastructure has been deteriorating since early 2025. The country historically leaned on Venezuela and Mexico for discounted crude oil deliveries. Both suppliers pulled back sharply after the Trump administration threatened tariff penalties on any nation continuing fuel exports to the island. Fresh US sanctions targeting senior Cuban officials landed in early May, tightening the squeeze further. Energy Minister Vicente de la O Levy told state media this week that the country had exhausted its diesel and fuel oil reserves entirely, leaving the grid in a “critical” condition.

Protests Signal Growing Public Frustration

The human cost broke into public view Wednesday night. Hundreds of residents took to Havana streets after a major blackout struck eastern Cuba, blocking roads and shouting anti-government slogans. It represented the largest single night of unrest in the capital since the crisis began in January. President Miguel Díaz-Canel acknowledged the situation was “particularly tense” but assigned blame entirely to Washington, calling the fuel blockade a “genocidal” act on social media.

The standoff leaves ordinary Cubans caught between geopolitical brinkmanship and an electricity grid that can no longer keep hospitals, schools, or homes consistently powered.

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