Cuba Confirms Quiet U.S. Talks as Díaz‑Canel Blames Trump Oil Blockade and Venezuela Oil Cutoff for Fuel Halt and Blackouts
Cuban President Miguel Díaz‑Canel publicly confirmed discreet, early‑stage talks with U.S. officials to “look for solutions” to bilateral differences, with U.S. contacts reportedly including a meeting between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Raúl Castro’s grandson, Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro. Díaz‑Canel said no fuel ships have arrived in three months and blamed a U.S. oil blockade and related Trump‑era measures — along with a cutoff of Venezuelan oil — for severe fuel shortages, recent islandwide blackouts and postponed surgeries, while Havana announced the planned release of 51 prisoners as a Vatican‑linked gesture and the U.N. has been discussing easing the blockade for humanitarian fuel.
📌 Key Facts
- Cuban President Miguel Díaz‑Canel publicly confirmed recent, early‑stage and discreet talks with U.S. government officials aimed at "finding solutions to the political differences that divide" the two countries, likening them to Obama‑era dialogue and saying the parties remain far from an agreement.
- Multiple reports say U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio (per those sources) met secretly with Raúl Castro’s grandson, Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, on the margins of a CARICOM summit; Cuban and U.S. accounts identify Rodríguez Castro as a principal Cuban counterpart in the contacts.
- Díaz‑Canel said no fuel ships have arrived in Cuba for about three months and publicly blamed a U.S. energy/oil blockade (including late‑January Trump measures) and a cutoff of Venezuelan oil for the fuel shortage.
- The United Nations is reportedly in discussions with the United States about easing the U.S. oil blockade to allow humanitarian‑use fuel into Cuba.
- Cuba says fuel depletion forced two power plants offline, contributed to a major blackout that affected millions, restricted solar‑park output, cut industrial production and employment, and led to the postponement of tens of thousands of surgeries; Cuba’s chief of mission in Washington said roughly 11,000 children are now on waiting lists for procedures.
- As emergency responses, Havana has converted more than 115 bakeries to run on firewood or coal, installed 955 solar panels in rural homes and social centers, and announced plans to add roughly 100 megawatts of solar capacity by the end of March.
- Havana announced it will release 51 prisoners in the coming days as a gesture of goodwill linked to the Vatican; the government said those 51 had served a significant portion of their sentences. Officials also note Cuba has granted 9,905 pardons since 2010 and released about 10,000 people in the past three years, while Prisoners Defenders estimates about 1,214 political prisoners remain and prominent dissident José Daniel Ferrer was freed in early 2025 and now lives in the U.S.
- Cuba’s chief of mission in Washington, Lianys Torres Rivera, said changes to Cuba’s political system are "off‑limits" in the talks.
- Fox and other reports say Díaz‑Canel plans to invite an FBI team to help investigate a recent firefight between Cuban forces and a U.S.‑registered boat carrying 10 Cuban expatriates; the coverage also highlights provocative public comments by President Trump about Cuba (including talk of a "friendly takeover") and his January national emergency declaration accusing Havana of aligning with hostile powers.
📊 Relevant Data
Cuba's population has declined by an estimated 18 percent since 2021, with as many as two million residents having left the country due to mass emigration.
Have Cubans Fled One Authoritarian State for Another? — The New Yorker
Recent Cuban emigrants from 2021-2025 are predominantly young adults aged 20-40 years (with a peak between 25-35), 56-57 percent are women, and many have high levels of education, contributing to a brain drain in professional sectors such as health and education.
Cuban emigration in 2025: global redistribution of the exodus and demographic collapse — CiberCuba
The number of registered physicians in Cuba decreased from 106,131 in 2021 to 75,364 in 2024, representing a loss of over 30,000 medical professionals due to emigration.
Cuba's Doctor Exodus: Over 30,000 Physicians Lost Since 2021 — Cuba Headlines
Prior to the U.S. cutoff, Venezuela provided as much as 50 percent of Cuba's oil imports.
Trump U-turn: Is Venezuelan oil really available to Cuba again? — Al Jazeera
Blackouts in Cuba disproportionately affect lower-income and rural communities, which often lack resources for backup generators or alternative energy sources.
Cuba’s Electricity Crisis: What’s Happening and What Comes Next — University of Alabama at Birmingham Institute for Human Rights
📰 Source Timeline (5)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- Díaz‑Canel’s 90‑minute, state‑broadcast news conference explicitly framed the talks as aimed at 'finding solutions to the political differences that divide' Cuba and the U.S., according to the New York Times.
- Cuba’s chief of mission in Washington, Lianys Torres Rivera, told Politico that changes to Cuba’s political system are 'off‑limits' in the talks.
- The piece ties the current economic collapse directly to the U.S. 'capture' of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in Caracas, after which the Trump administration 'immediately cut off oil exports to the island.'
- Torres Rivera says about 11,000 Cuban children are now on waiting lists for surgeries and procedures because of the crisis.
- Trump has publicly said about Cuba, 'Maybe we’ll have a friendly takeover,' and that a deal 'would be very easily made,' while having declared a national emergency over Cuba in January accusing Havana of aligning with hostile powers and terrorist groups.
- Fox reports that Rubio’s main counterpart in the talks is Raul Rodriguez Castro, Raúl Castro’s grandson, and that Díaz‑Canel plans to invite an FBI team to participate in the investigation of a recent firefight between Cuban forces and a U.S.-registered boat carrying 10 Cuban expatriates.
- Díaz‑Canel publicly confirms that recent talks with the U.S. government were held to address bilateral differences, without detailing the agenda.
- Two U.S. officials tell AP that Secretary of State Marco Rubio secretly met Raul Castro’s grandson, Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, on the sidelines of a CARICOM summit in St. Kitts and Nevis.
- Díaz‑Canel says no petroleum shipments have reached Cuba in the past three months, which he attributes to a U.S. energy blockade.
- He reports a major blackout in western Cuba last week that left millions without power, plus the postponement of surgeries for tens of thousands due to power shortages.
- Cuba has converted more than 115 bakeries to run on firewood or coal and installed 955 solar panels in rural homes and social centers, with plans for additional solar capacity to add 100 megawatts by the end of March.
- Díaz‑Canel says depletion of fuel oil and diesel has forced two power plants offline and restricted output at solar parks, cutting industrial production and employment.
- Miguel Díaz‑Canel publicly confirmed that Cuban officials have recently held conversations with U.S. government officials to ‘look for solutions to the bilateral differences that exist,’ framing the talks as early‑stage and discreet.
- Díaz‑Canel specified that these contacts resemble the dialogue that occurred during the Obama administration, stressing they are long processes carried out with ‘great discretion’ and that the two sides are ‘still far from an agreement.’
- He disclosed that ‘for three months, no fuel ships have arrived’ in Cuba and directly linked this to President Donald Trump’s late‑January blockade on oil shipments to Cuba and an executive order imposing tariffs on countries that sell oil to Cuba.
- The article reports that the United Nations is in discussions with the United States about easing the U.S. oil blockade to allow in humanitarian‑use fuel, a detail not in the earlier story.
- CBS ties Díaz‑Canel’s press conference to Havana’s announcement that 51 prisoners will be released as an act of goodwill connected to the Vatican, reiterating that Cuba remains in a deep humanitarian and economic crisis and noting student protests on the island and solidarity protests in South Florida.
- Cuba’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs formally announced it will release 51 prisoners in the coming days, calling it a gesture of goodwill linked to the island’s close relationship with the Vatican.
- The government said all 51 prisoners have served a significant portion of their sentences and maintained good conduct, but declined to identify them or specify whether any are political prisoners.
- Havana disclosed that it has granted 9,905 pardons since 2010 and released another 10,000 people from prison in the past three years.
- The article reiterates that prominent dissident José Daniel Ferrer was freed in early 2025 as part of Vatican-mediated talks and now lives in the United States, and notes that Prisoners Defenders estimates 1,214 political prisoners remain in Cuba as of February 2026.
- The announcement comes just hours before President Miguel Díaz-Canel is scheduled to hold a rare press conference "to address national and international issues."