{"id":4681,"date":"2026-03-13T21:45:10","date_gmt":"2026-03-13T21:45:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/4681\/"},"modified":"2026-03-13T21:45:10","modified_gmt":"2026-03-13T21:45:10","slug":"cuba-confirms-talks-with-us-as-economic-crisis-grows","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/4681\/","title":{"rendered":"Cuba confirms talks with US as economic crisis grows"},"content":{"rendered":"

HAVANA (AP) \u2014 Cuba has held talks with the U.S. government, Cuban President Miguel D\u00edaz-Canel<\/a> said Friday, marking the first time the Caribbean country<\/a> has confirmed widespread speculation about discussions with the Trump administration as it grapples with a severe energy crisis.<\/p>\n

D\u00edaz-Canel said the talks \u201cwere aimed at finding solutions through dialogue to the bilateral differences between our two nations. International factors facilitated these exchanges.\u201d He did not elaborate on those factors, or provide any specifics about the talks, which U.S. President Donald Trump<\/a> has alluded to in the past. <\/p>\n

Cuba\u2019s relations with the U.S. have been fraught for decades and punctuated by animosity, with the exception of a brief rapprochement during former President Barack Obama\u2019s second term.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"People<\/p>\n

People inside a private convenience store see Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel speaking on TV in Havana, Cuba, Friday, March 13, 2026. (AP Photo\/Ramon Espinosa)<\/p>\n

People inside a private convenience store see Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel speaking on TV in Havana, Cuba, Friday, March 13, 2026. (AP Photo\/Ramon Espinosa)<\/p>\n

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Asked for comment on Friday, the White House pointed to Trump\u2019s public comments about discussions with Cuba that he said were being led by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and intended to press major changes in Cuban policies and governance. <\/p>\n

Trump has suggested that top Cuban leaders would be smart to avoid the fate of former Venezuelan President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro, who was ousted and arrested in a U.S. military operation in January. <\/p>\n

Shortly after D\u00edaz-Canel spoke, two U.S. officials said that Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants and a longtime Cuba hawk, and top aides met at the end of February in the Caribbean with the grandson of retired Cuban leader Ra\u00fal Castro, who is believed to play an influential role in the government despite not holding an official post.<\/p>\n

The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the discussions, said that Rubio had met secretly with Ra\u00fal Guillermo Rodr\u00edguez Castro on the sidelines of a Caribbean Community leaders meeting in St. Kitts and Nevis on Feb. 25.<\/p>\n

At the time, Rubio refused to say who, if anyone, he was speaking with in or close to the Cuban government.<\/p>\n

D\u00edaz-Canel said that the purpose of the talks with the U.S. was to identify \u201cbilateral problems that require solutions based on their severity and impact\u201d and find solutions to them.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Mexican<\/p>\n

Mexican ship ARM Huasteco, carrying aid according to the Mexican government, arrives to Havana Bay, Cuba, Friday, March 13, 2026. (AP Photo\/Ramon Espinosa)<\/p>\n

Mexican ship ARM Huasteco, carrying aid according to the Mexican government, arrives to Havana Bay, Cuba, Friday, March 13, 2026. (AP Photo\/Ramon Espinosa)<\/p>\n

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He said that the aim was \u201cto determine the willingness of both parties to take concrete actions for the benefit of the people of both countries. And in addition, to identify areas of cooperation to confront threats and guarantee the security and peace of both nations, as well as in the region.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018Impact is tremendous\u2019<\/p>\n

D\u00edaz-Canel said that no petroleum shipments have arrived in Cuba in the past three months, which he blamed on a U.S. energy blockade<\/a>. He said the island is running on natural gas, solar power and thermoelectric plants, and that the depletion of fuel oil and diesel forced two power plants to shut down and has limited the generation of power at solar parks.<\/p>\n

The most recent blackout was blamed on a broken boiler<\/a> at a thermoelectric plant that forced the shutdown of Cuba\u2019s power grid<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The president said that Cuba, which produces 40% of its petroleum, has been generating its own power, but that it hasn\u2019t been sufficient to meet demand. The lack of power has affected communications, education and transportation, and the government has had to postpone surgeries for tens of thousands of people as a result, he said, adding: \u201cThe impact is tremendous.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEven with everything we\u2019re putting together, we still need oil,\u201d he said, adding that production output also has dropped. \u201cWithout energy, no country can produce at normal levels. All of this has meant making adjustments to employment.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"People<\/p>\n

People wait for public transportation in Havana, Cuba, Friday, March 13, 2026. (AP Photo\/Ramon Espinosa)<\/p>\n

People wait for public transportation in Havana, Cuba, Friday, March 13, 2026. (AP Photo\/Ramon Espinosa)<\/p>\n

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Last month, Cuba implemented austere fuel-saving measures and has converted more than 115 bakeries to run on firewood or coal.<\/p>\n

\u201cCubans are desperate,\u201d said Elvis Hern\u00e1ndez, 62. \u201cYou can\u2019t live without water or electricity. That\u2019s why we want a consensus to be reached. If there are talks, let them be productive. Let them achieve something good through those conversations.\u201d<\/p>\n

Miguel Garc\u00eda, 65, welcomed the news of talks with the U.S.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf all of this leads to agreements and solutions that will improve our lives, then all the better, because the situation is quite difficult right now,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Staffing of embassy in Havana<\/p>\n

The U.S. State Department has weighed potentially drawing down staffing at the U.S. Embassy in Havana as the fuel shortages caused by the American blockade could affect day-to-day diplomatic operations, according to three U.S. officials.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"An<\/p>\n

An image of Cuban Revolutionary hero Ernesto \u201cChe\u201d Guevara stands next to a TV showing Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel speaking, inside a souvenir shop in Havana, Cuba, Friday, March 13, 2026. (AP Photo\/Ramon Espinosa)<\/p>\n

An image of Cuban Revolutionary hero Ernesto \u201cChe\u201d Guevara stands next to a TV showing Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel speaking, inside a souvenir shop in Havana, Cuba, Friday, March 13, 2026. (AP Photo\/Ramon Espinosa)<\/p>\n

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The officials stressed that there is still time to solve the problem and that the embassy and the State Department were looking at potential solutions, including possibly importing fuel from private sources if the Cubans allow it. <\/p>\n

A reduction in staffing at the embassy in Havana would likely lead to a U.S. demand for a similar reduction in staffing at the Cuban embassy in Washington, the officials said.<\/p>\n

Brian Fonseca, who studies the Americas at Florida International University, said that a reduced presence at the U.S. embassy would be a less than ideal scenario at a moment when Trump is pressing for dramatic change in the Cuban government.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe diplomatic staff are your eyes and ears on the ground,\u201d Fonseca said. \u201cA downgrading scenario could complicate or challenge U.S. understanding of what\u2019s going on, on the ground.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trump\u2019s warning<\/p>\n

Critical oil shipments from Venezuela to Cuba were halted after the U.S. attacked the South American country<\/a> and arrested Maduro.<\/p>\n

Since then, the Trump administration has been warning Cuba of a similar fate.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A vendor having breakfast sits by her table holding various products, from cigarettes to sandals, in Havana, Cuba, early Friday, March 13, 2026. (AP Photo\/Ramon Espinosa)<\/p>\n

A vendor having breakfast sits by her table holding various products, from cigarettes to sandals, in Havana, Cuba, early Friday, March 13, 2026. (AP Photo\/Ramon Espinosa)<\/p>\n

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Trump told a gathering of Latin America leaders in Florida last week that Cuba is \u201cvery much at the end of the line\u201d and that he was looking forward to \u201cgreat change\u201d coming soon to the island.<\/p>\n

D\u00edaz-Canel also said Friday that FBI officials would visit Cuba as soon as both countries continue to share information about the recent shooting of a Florida-flagged boat<\/a> in Cuban waters. Four of 10 Cubans from the U.S. were killed after the government accused them of opening fire on local troops.<\/p>\n

A fifth suspect later died from his injuries, according to the Cuban government. The five other suspects have been detained and face terrorism charges.<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

Coto reported from San Jose, Costa Rica; Lee and Madhani from Washington. Ariel Fern\u00e1ndez, in Havana, Seung Min Kim, in Washington, and Mar\u00eda Verza, in Mexico City, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"HAVANA (AP) \u2014 Cuba has held talks with the U.S. government, Cuban President Miguel D\u00edaz-Canel said Friday, marking…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4682,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[61,105,3721,112,219,3725,1318,3718,38,3722,274,50,8,218,139,3720,3723,9,1066,67,3719,3724,7,1657,13,100,69,106],"class_list":{"0":"post-4681","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-top-stories","8":"tag-ap-top-news","9":"tag-barack-obama","10":"tag-blockades","11":"tag-business","12":"tag-central-america","13":"tag-communism","14":"tag-cuba","15":"tag-cuba-government","16":"tag-donald-trump","17":"tag-elvis-hernndez","18":"tag-energy-industry","19":"tag-general-news","20":"tag-headlines","21":"tag-latin-america","22":"tag-marco-rubio","23":"tag-miguel-daz-canel","24":"tag-miguel-garca","25":"tag-news","26":"tag-nicolas-maduro","27":"tag-politics","28":"tag-ral-guillermo-rodrguez-castro","29":"tag-recessions-and-depressions","30":"tag-top-stories","31":"tag-u-s-venezuela-conflict","32":"tag-united-states","33":"tag-united-states-government","34":"tag-washington-news","35":"tag-world-news"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@news\/116224060458422196","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4681","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4681"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4681\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4682"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4681"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4681"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4681"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}