US President Donald Trump expressed on Saturday that the United States would “work a deal” with Cuba. He reiterated his call for negotiations and told reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Florida that it doesn’t have to be a humanitarian crisis, noting Cuba has no money and no oil, having relied heavily on Venezuelan supplies which were cut off by the US blockade even before the capture of Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro.
Trump suggested Cuba would likely come to terms with the United States. Reuters exclusively reported in January that Mexico, Cuba’s top supplier after Venezuela halted shipments in December, was reviewing whether to continue sending oil amid fears it could face retaliation from Washington.
Cubans are navigating lengthening blackouts and soaring prices for food, fuel, and transport as US sanctions tighten. The island’s power generation system has long failed, but the capital Havana has also been struggling with limited fuel supplies following Venezuela and Mexico halting their shipments to Cuba.
Reuters interviewed over three dozen residents of towns and neighborhoods around Havana from street vendors to private sector workers, taxi drivers, and state employees. Their discussions paint a picture of people pushed to the limit as goods and services, particularly those tied to limited fuel, become scarcer and more expensive. In rural areas, frequent power outages have long been normal, but in Havana, residents are now spending hours without functioning electricity, internet, or water pumps.
The Cuban peso has lost over 10% of its value against the dollar in three weeks, pushing up food prices. US President Trump said tariffs would be imposed on imports from countries supplying Cuba with oil. While such measures might spark protests elsewhere, they have not yet materialized in Cuba, where dissent has been curbed.
Cuba’s Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez declared an “international emergency” in response to the tariff warning he said constituted a “threat,” though the government has provided little on how it will manage growing humanitarian crisis. Since mid-December, with Venezuelan deliveries halted due to US sanctions, gas prices have skyrocketed and become almost exclusively sold in dollars—a currency inaccessible to most Cubans.
The situation is intensifying, with lines for gasoline at service centers growing significantly as fuel supplies dwindle. The government has shut down public transportation, leaving private taxis struggling to operate or hike their fares.
Despite decades of surviving tough economic times under the Fidel Castro regime, which roots its history in the 1959 Cuban Revolution, recent crackdowns on dissent have largely eliminated organized opposition within Cuba. Many Cubans interviewed by Reuters declined to answer questions about potential protests.