The CIA director, John Ratcliffe, travelled to Havana on Thursday for an exceptional meeting with high-ranking Cuban officials, according to authorities, as Cuba, facing an oil blockade from Washington, is dealing with a very serious energy crisis.
The CIA, without providing more details about the purpose of the meeting, posted photos of the meeting on its X account showing John Ratcliffe and his delegation meeting with Cuban officials. Among them was Ramon Romero Curbelo, the chief of intelligence of the Cuban Ministry of the Interior.
Cuban authorities specified that this meeting aimed to “contribute to the political dialogue” between the two ideological adversaries who, despite strong tensions, continue their exchanges. A high-level diplomatic meeting had already taken place in Havana on April 10. It was the first time a U.S. government plane landed in the Cuban capital since 2016.
On Thursday, Havana stated that “the elements provided by the Cuban side and the exchanges with the U.S. delegation have categorically shown that Cuba does not pose a threat to the national security of the United States.”
Trump signs a decree against Cuba
Donald Trump signed a presidential decree at the end of January stating that the communist rule, located 150 km off the coast of Florida, represented an “extraordinary threat” to the United States.
Washington thus justified the tightening of sanctions against Havana, already under embargo since 1962, and especially the imposition of a de facto oil blockade against the island since January. Donald Trump had threatened retaliation against any country wishing to supply or sell oil to the Caribbean island.
Cuba also claims to have shown “that there are no foreign military or intelligence bases on its territory,” in reference to U.S. allegations of Chinese listening posts on the island.
The tightening of American sanctions has caused an unprecedented energy and economic crisis on the island of 9.6 million inhabitants. The situation of the electricity network remains critical, as the country has run out of diesel and fuel reserves.
Social tensions in Havana
Recurring power outages have caused social tensions in Havana from Wednesday night to Thursday. Residents expressed their frustration by banging pots in the face of power outages lasting over twenty hours.
The situation, already tense in recent days, worsened on Thursday morning with a disconnection of the power grid in seven out of 15 provinces. By the end of the day, four provinces had not yet been reconnected to the national grid, according to authorities.
The electricity company also announced that the Antonio Guiteras thermal power plant, located about a hundred kilometers from Havana and which provides the most electricity to the country, is out of order due to “a leak in the boiler.”
Facing the complexity of the crisis, the Cuban government said it was “ready” to examine a $100 million financial aid proposal made the day before by Washington, which demands that this aid be distributed by the Catholic Church, bypassing the government.
Major energy crisis in Cuba
Considering that such aid, if it meets “international standards of humanitarian aid,” would face “no obstacles” from the Cuban government, President Miguel Diaz-Canel nevertheless stated that lifting the “blockade” imposed by the United States would be a “simpler” way to help the island.
Cuba has been facing a profound energy crisis since mid-2024, exacerbated by the oil blockade imposed by Washington. Since late January, only one Russian oil tanker carrying crude has been authorized to dock in Cuba. Its cargo is now depleted.
Havana blames Washington for the critical situation of the power grid, while the United States believes that the Cuban energy crisis stems from poor internal economic management. The island has already experienced seven widespread power outages since late 2024, including the last two in March.
Washington also welcomed the release of a dissident, Sissi Abascal, who was sentenced to six years in prison for participating in anti-government protests on July 11, 2021. The NGO Cubalex clarified that the opposition member, a member of the dissident movement Ladies in White, was leaving for exile.
