Bloomberg Line — Russia accused the United States of “suffocating” Cuba by threatening to impose tariffs on nations that directly or indirectly supply oil to the island, a fact that could lead to a “humanitarian collapse,” as the UN has assured in recent days.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov said in his daily conference that “the situation in Cuba is really critical.”
“The suffocating measures imposed by the United States are causing many difficulties for the country”Peskov added. “We are studying possible solutions with our Cuban friends, at least to provide what assistance we can.”
The statements were made a day after Cuba informed international airlines that it was running out of jet fuel.
See more: Cuba begins to close resorts due to the fuel crisis that affects tourism
The communist government has warned international airlines that they will no longer be able to refuel at its main airport in Havana for the next month.
Additionally, A-1 jet fuel will not be available at José Martí International Airport between Tuesday and March 11.the Federal Aviation Administration said in an advisory on Sunday.
Cuba receives flights from American, Canadian, European and Latin American airlines. In previous times of economic hardship, including after the fall of the Soviet Union in the 1990s, airlines rearranged schedules so they could refuel in Mexico or the Dominican Republic.
The warning about a shortage of airplane fuel shows the impact that the warning is having on the countries that supply oil to the island, made by Donald Trump on January 29.
Since the capture of Nicolás Maduro at the beginning of the year, Venezuela stopped sending oil to Cuba, and after Trump’s ultimatum, Mexico has done the same, although it continues to send humanitarian assistance.
The US will send humanitarian aid to Cuba
The United States will provide humanitarian aid to Cuba for US$6 million in the face of the possibility of a crisis due to oil shortagesreported last week the Undersecretary of Foreign Assistance, Humanitarian Affairs and Religious Freedom, Jeremy Lewin.
Among the humanitarian aid for Cuba, canned goods, beans, pasta, hygiene equipment and solar lamps that allow phones to be charged stand out.
“Things that are used in disaster zones and humanitarian crises,” according to Lewin.
This is the second time in 2026 that the United States authorizes the sending of aid to Cuba; the first was on January 13. At that time, the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, assured that the objective was to support those who were barely recovering from the passage of Hurricane Melissa.
See more: Mexico sends two ships with supplies to Cuba while it resolves oil aid with the US.
Following the news, Cuban Vice Foreign Minister Carlos Fernández de Cossío wrote in
“The US announces US$6 million in aid for Cuba while the island’s leader accuses it of imposing an energy blockade,” Fernandez added.
With information from Bloomberg News.
date: 2026-02-09 16:23:00