The United States and Cuba have reopened high-level talks as worsening fuel shortages push the island deeper into crisis.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe met Cuban officials in Havana during a rare diplomatic visit focused on security, intelligence cooperation, and Cuba’s growing energy emergency. The meeting comes after the US renewed a $100 million humanitarian aid offer aimed at easing the effects of fuel shortages and nationwide blackouts.
According to US officials, Washington is willing to engage with Cuba on economic and security issues if Havana makes major political changes. Cuban authorities, however, said the fastest solution would be for the US to lift its long-running economic blockade.
The energy crisis has severely disrupted daily life across Cuba. Hospitals, schools, and government offices have struggled to operate as fuel supplies continue to shrink. Public anger has also grown, with protests breaking out in parts of Havana over prolonged blackouts.
The visit marks one of the highest-level contacts between the two countries in recent years as tensions over sanctions, energy shortages, and human rights continue to escalate.
