Cuba Weighs U.S. $100 Million Aid Offer as Blackouts Deepen and CIA Chief Visits Havana

Cuba is considering a U.S. offer of $100 million in humanitarian aid as the island faces a worsening energy crisis, public anger over blackouts, and renewed pressure from Washington.

The offer comes at a sharp moment. Cuba’s power grid has been failing. Fuel supplies have dropped to critical levels. Hospitals, schools, government offices, homes, and businesses have all been hit by long outages. At the same time, CIA Director John Ratcliffe visited Havana and met with Cuban officials, opening a rare channel of direct talks between the two governments.

The two events are linked by one larger issue: Cuba’s crisis is no longer only about electricity. It is about power, politics, pressure, and survival.

Cuba says it is willing to review the U.S. aid offer. But Cuban leaders also say the aid must come without political conditions. Washington says the aid is meant for the Cuban people and should be distributed through the Catholic Church and other independent humanitarian groups, not directly through the Cuban government.

That is where the fight begins.

The Aid Offer: $100 Million, But With Disputes Over Control

The U.S. State Department said it has offered $100 million in direct humanitarian assistance to the Cuban people. The aid would be distributed in coordination with the Catholic Church and other reliable independent humanitarian organizations. Washington said the Cuban government must decide whether to accept the assistance or block what it called “critical life-saving aid.”

Cuba has not rejected the idea outright.

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez said the government is ready to hear the details of the proposal and how it would be implemented. But he said the offer must be free of political maneuvering. The Cuban Embassy in Washington also said it remains unclear whether the aid would be cash or in-kind support, and whether it would target Cuba’s most urgent needs: fuel, food, and medicine.

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel said Cuba would not create obstacles if the aid is offered according to accepted international humanitarian practices. But he also called the offer inconsistent. His argument is simple: if the U.S. wants to help Cuba faster, it could ease or lift the blockade measures that Cuba says are driving the crisis.

That is the split.

The U.S. is offering aid. Cuba says the bigger problem is U.S. pressure.

A Grid Under Severe Strain

Cuba’s energy system is in bad shape.

The country’s national power grid suffered a major failure early Thursday, cutting electricity to eastern provinces from Guantánamo to Ciego de Ávila. Cuba’s state-run Electric Union said crews were working to restore power, but it did not give a clear timeline.

The crisis is not new. Cuba’s aging power grid has been weakening for years during a long economic crisis. But conditions have worsened because of fuel shortages. Cuban Energy Minister Vicente de la O Levy said the island had no fuel reserves and no diesel reserves. He described the energy situation as “critical.”

Power outages in Havana reached 24 straight hours in some areas. On Wednesday night, residents in several neighborhoods protested by banging pots and pans and setting fire to trash cans. Reuters reported that hundreds took to the streets in Havana, blocking roads with burning rubbish and shouting anti-government slogans. It was described as the biggest single night of demonstrations in the city since the energy crisis began in January.

This is what daily pressure looks like:

• Food spoils when refrigerators stop working.
• Hospitals cannot function normally.
• Some surgeries have been canceled.
• Schools and government offices have closed.
• Families cook without reliable power.
• People lose patience when the lights stay off.

This is not a normal power outage. It is a national stress test.

Cuba Blames the U.S. Oil Blockade

Cuba’s government says the central cause of the crisis is the U.S. oil blockade.

Díaz-Canel called the situation “particularly tense” and blamed what he described as a “genocidal energy blockade” by the United States. Cuban officials say U.S. threats of tariffs against countries that send fuel to Cuba have choked off oil supplies and left the island without enough fuel to run its economy.

Cuba has historically relied on oil supplies from countries such as Venezuela and Mexico. But those supplies have been reduced. The BBC report says Venezuela and Mexico have largely cut off supplies since U.S. President Donald Trump threatened tariffs on countries that provide fuel to Cuba.

CBS/AP reported that Cuba produces only about 40% of the fuel it needs to power its economy. It also noted that a Russian vessel delivered oil in late March, but those supplies later ran out. Russia announced plans for another fuel shipment, but reports said the tanker had been stuck in the Atlantic for weeks. Mexico also said it had sent humanitarian aid, while focusing on support other than oil because Russia was already sending fuel.

The U.S. position is different. Washington has demanded that Cuba release political prisoners and move toward political and economic liberalization in return for sanctions relief.

So the dispute is not just about fuel. It is about leverage.

CIA Chief Meets Cuban Officials in Havana

As the aid offer was being discussed, CIA Director John Ratcliffe traveled to Havana and met Cuban officials at the interior ministry. The visit was confirmed by both sides.

A CIA official told CBS News that Ratcliffe met with Raúl Rodríguez Castro, the grandson of former President Raúl Castro, Interior Minister Lázaro Álvarez Casas, and the head of Cuba’s intelligence services. The official said the delegation came to deliver President Trump’s message that the U.S. is prepared to engage seriously on economic and security issues, but only if Cuba makes “fundamental changes.”

The official said the talks covered intelligence cooperation, economic stability, and security concerns. The U.S. also said Cuba “can no longer be a safe haven for adversaries in the Western Hemisphere.”

Cuba described the meeting differently. Its government said the talks helped show that Cuba does not pose a threat to U.S. national security. It also said there is no legitimate reason for Cuba to remain on the U.S. list of countries accused of sponsoring terrorism.

Both sides want to frame the meeting their way.

Washington says Cuba must change. Havana says Washington has no valid reason to treat Cuba as a threat.

More Pressure From Washington

The talks came during a period of rising U.S. pressure on Cuba.

The Trump administration imposed new sanctions in early May on senior Cuban officials accused of human rights abuses. Cuba called those sanctions “illegal” and “abusive.”

CBS/AP also reported that Trump has repeatedly suggested Cuba’s government could collapse and has not ruled out military action. Senate Republicans last month blocked a Democratic effort to force a vote on a measure that would prevent Trump from launching a military attack on Cuba.

Separately, CBS News reported that the U.S. is preparing to indict former President Raúl Castro and his brother Fidel in connection with the 1996 shooting down of planes flown by the humanitarian group Brothers to the Rescue.

Taken together, the message is clear. The U.S. is offering aid while keeping pressure on Cuba’s government.

That is why Havana is skeptical.

The Core Issue: Aid or Control?

The U.S. says its offer is humanitarian. Cuba says humanitarian aid should not come with political conditions.

Both sides know what is at stake.

For the U.S., aid delivered through independent groups could help Cuban people while limiting the government’s control over distribution. For Cuba, accepting aid under those terms could look like surrendering authority during a national crisis.

That is the real negotiation.

Cuba needs fuel, food, and medicine. The U.S. wants reforms and independent distribution.

Neither side is hiding its position.

The Bottom Line

Cuba is facing one of its most serious energy crises in years. The lights are out for long stretches. Fuel is short. Public frustration is growing. The government is under pressure from inside the country and from Washington.

The U.S. has offered $100 million in aid. Cuba says it is willing to consider the offer, but not if the aid is used as a political tool. Meanwhile, the CIA director’s visit shows that talks are happening, even as both sides remain far apart.

The facts are simple:

• Cuba’s power grid is failing.
• Fuel shortages are severe.
• The U.S. has offered $100 million in aid.
• Cuba wants aid without political strings.
• Washington wants reforms and independent distribution.
• CIA Director John Ratcliffe met Cuban officials in Havana.
• Protests have broken out over prolonged blackouts.

This is not just an energy story. It is a pressure story.

Cuba needs power. The U.S. wants change. The Cuban people are caught in the middle, waiting for the lights to come back on.