The United States should lift its blockade on Cuba rather than offer aid to the struggling island, President Miguel Diaz-Canel said on Thursday, as the country endures worsening power cuts.

Cuba's energy crisis has deepened since January when the United States imposed an oil blockade on the island of 9.6 million people.

Only one Russian oil tanker has made it through since then, and power cuts and supply shortages have become the norm, with Cuban officials saying that the country's oil reserves have run out.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has renewed an offer of US$100 million in aid on the condition that the assistance be distributed by the Catholic Church, bypassing the government.

In a post on X, Diaz-Canel urged the United States to instead lift its blockade.

"The damage could be eased in a much simpler and faster way by lifting or relaxing the blockade, since it is known that the humanitarian situation is coldly calculated and induced," he said.

But, if Washington showed "true willingness" to provide aid, he added, "it will encounter no obstacles or ingratitude from Cuba."

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez also said the island was willing to consider the offer, but said no strings should be attached.

"We hope it will be free of political manoeuvring and attempts to exploit the hardships and suffering of a people under siege," Rodriguez said on social media.

Eastern Cuba was on Thursday plunged into the latest of outages affecting the whole country, with power returning to some areas later in the day.

Oil reserves sent by Russia have now "run out," Energy Minister Vicente de la O Levy told state television on Wednesday, describing the situation as "very tense."

"The heat continues to rise, and the impact of the blockade is indeed causing us significant harm... because we are still not receiving fuel."

Outages of more than 19 hours a day have hit Havana, while in several provinces, blackouts last for entire days.

Living conditions in Cuba have dramatically worsened after Trump in January threatened tariffs on any nation supplying the island with fuel. Top allies Mexico and Venezuela have since cut off oil shipments to Cuba, leading to dire shortages of fuel and electricity.

Last week, the United Nations called Trump's fuel blockade unlawful, saying it had obstructed the "Cuban people’s right to development while undermining their rights to food, education, health, and water and sanitation."

"It's a broken, non-functional economy, and it's impossible to change it. I wish it were different," Rubio told Fox News.

"I don't think we're going to be able to change the trajectory of Cuba as long as these people are in charge." (Agencies)



Edited by Cecil Wong