On May 15, 2026, CIA Director John Ratcliffe arrived in Havana to meet with senior officials from the Cuban Ministry of the Interior. This meeting took place against the backdrop of a severe energy crisis, fueled by a stringent U.S. fuel blockade and the cessation of oil deliveries from Venezuela.
A total lack of fuel has plunged Havana into blackouts lasting up to 22 hours a day. During the visit, the head of U.S. intelligence delivered a message from President Donald Trump to the Cuban government. While the United States expressed a willingness to open negotiations on economic and security issues, they set a firm condition: "fundamental changes" must occur on the island.
The American delegation did not offer any technical assistance to repair Cuba’s aging power plants. In turn, Cuban officials provided evidence that the island poses no threat to U.S. national security and demanded that Cuba be removed from the American list of state sponsors of terrorism.
Havana also emphasized that the search for alternative fuel suppliers to overcome the crisis has been severely hampered by a sharp increase in global oil prices, triggered by the conflict involving the U.S., Israel, and Iran.
