The United States has renewed an offer of $100 million in humanitarian aid to Cuba, saying the assistance would be made available if Havana cooperates with Washington as the island battles a worsening economic and energy crisis marked by severe fuel shortages and prolonged blackouts.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the US State Department said the proposed package would include direct humanitarian assistance as well as support for “fast and free” internet access in Cuba. Washington also linked the offer to broader calls for “meaningful reforms” within the communist-run country.
The State Department accused the Cuban government of obstructing aid efforts, saying the Cuban people were suffering because of the failures of what it described as a “corrupt regime.” It added that Havana now faced a choice between accepting the assistance or “standing in the way of critical life-saving aid.”
The renewed proposal came shortly after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio claimed during a visit to Rome that Cuba had already rejected an earlier $100 million aid offer. Cuban authorities denied receiving any such proposal.
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez dismissed Rubio’s remarks, calling the alleged proposal a “lie” and questioning whether the offer was intended as genuine assistance or an attempt to undermine Cuban sovereignty. He also argued that lifting US restrictions on fuel supplies would be more effective than conditional aid.
The diplomatic dispute comes as Cuba faces one of its most severe energy crises in years. According to AFP data cited in reports, nearly 65% of Cuban territory experienced simultaneous blackouts on Tuesday because of major electricity generation shortfalls.
Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel described the situation as “particularly tense” and blamed US sanctions for worsening the crisis. He accused Washington of enforcing what he called a “genocidal energy blockade” by threatening punitive tariffs against countries supplying fuel to Cuba.
Cuba’s economic troubles have intensified since January after US measures targeting the government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro disrupted fuel shipments that previously met nearly half of Cuba’s energy requirements. Reports indicate that only one Russian fuel tanker has arrived in Cuba since then.
The Trump administration has already channelled approximately $6 million in humanitarian aid to Cuba through Catholic Church charities while bypassing the Cuban government. Washington has also tightened sanctions in recent weeks, including restrictions targeting a Cuban military-controlled conglomerate that oversees a substantial share of the island’s economy.
The United States has maintained an economic embargo on Cuba for most of the period since the 1959 revolution led by Fidel Castro.
