Overview
- U.S. measures that cut Venezuelan oil flows and threaten tariffs on third‑party suppliers have precipitated a severe fuel shortfall across Cuba.
- Air travel and hospitality have been sharply curtailed, with airlines like Air Canada suspending flights, LATAM and Russian carriers canceling routes, and NH closing its Cuba hotels as some others scale back.
- Cuba’s health minister says thousands of surgeries have been postponed and vital services for pediatric and chronic patients are strained by the lack of diesel and gas.
- The government has for the first time in decades allowed private firms to import fuel, and entrepreneurs are arranging small isotank shipments, including under OFAC licenses, for their own use.
- Businesses report payment, logistics, storage and legal risks limit these imports, and Cuba’s UN envoy dismissed reported secret contacts between Marco Rubio and a Castro relative as speculation.