Cuba Restores Power After Mass Blackout as U.S. Pressure and Aid Offers Mount

Overview

• State utility UNE said the national grid was back online after a nationwide failure, yet rolling cuts continue because generation remains scarce and the Antonio Guiteras plant is still down.
• The energy minister said diesel and fuel oil have run out, leaving only limited domestic gas to feed some units, which has caused blackouts of up to 20–22 hours and sparked street protests in Havana.
• CIA Director John Ratcliffe met senior officials in Havana to deliver President Trump’s message that talks on security and the economy require “fundamental changes,” while Cuba said it poses no threat to the United States.
• The U.S. renewed an offer of up to $100 million in relief to be delivered through the Catholic Church and independent aid groups, and Cuba said it is reviewing how such assistance would be implemented.
• Cuba’s civil defense posted a guide urging families to prepare for air-raid sirens and emergency kits, and Axios reported a U.S. assessment of a possible Cuban drone threat that Havana rejected.