CIA Director Ratcliffe Visits Havana as Cuba’s Fuel Crisis Reaches Breaking Point
BBC Business reported Thursday that CIA Director John Ratcliffe held talks with his Cuban counterpart at Havana’s interior ministry. The meeting came as Cuba confirmed a total collapse of its diesel and fuel oil reserves, deepening a Cuba energy crisis that has plunged the island into near-constant darkness.
Diplomatic Contact Amid Collapse
Havana’s government confirmed the encounter and framed it as a step toward improved dialogue. Cuban officials used the meeting to assert their country posed no threat to US national security. Both sides reportedly expressed interest in expanding law enforcement cooperation with implications for regional stability.
A US government aircraft was spotted departing Havana’s José Martí International Airport Thursday afternoon, according to a Reuters witness, corroborating Havana’s account of the visit.
Washington’s $100M Aid Offer Remains Contested
The talks followed a renewed US State Department offer of roughly $100 million in humanitarian assistance. Secretary of State Marco Rubio had claimed last week that Cuba previously rejected an identical proposal. Havana denied that.
Washington’s conditions remain a sticking point. The State Department stipulated that any aid must flow through the Catholic Church and other independent organisations, bypassing the Cuban government entirely. Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez said his government does not reject good-faith assistance but pressed for clarity on whether the offer would arrive as cash or in-kind goods.
President Miguel Díaz-Canel pushed back on the framing entirely. He argued the fastest path to relief was not aid delivery but a full rollback of US energy and trade restrictions, which he described as having worsened sharply in recent months.
Blockade Cuts Off Traditional Suppliers
Cuba has historically sourced crude through Venezuela and Mexico. Both countries have largely halted shipments since the Trump administration threatened tariffs on any nation supplying fuel to the island. The resulting squeeze has left hospitals struggling to operate normally and forced schools and government offices to shut.
Energy Minister Vicente de la O Levy told state media this week that diesel and fuel oil stocks had been fully exhausted. Only limited gas supplies remained, leaving the energy system in what he called a critical state.
Protests Spread Across the Capital
Blackouts have persisted for months, occasionally affecting the entire island simultaneously. On Wednesday, after a major outage swept eastern Cuba and parts of Havana, hundreds of residents took to the streets. Protesters blocked roads, burned rubbish, and chanted against the government. It was the largest single night of demonstrations in the capital since the crisis began escalating in January. Residents in at least one Havana neighbourhood were heard demanding the government restore power.
Díaz-Canel acknowledged the situation as “particularly tense” while blaming Washington directly for what he labelled an irrational energy blockade targeting any nation willing to supply Cuba with fuel.
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