Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel says his government should “immediately” focus on implementing urgent transformations to the island’s economic and social model as oil reserves in the Caribbean country dwindle.

Cuba began March with an electricity deficit left 64% of the island in the dark due to fuel shortages and technical failures at plants.

For decades, Washington has pressured Havana to open its economy to private investment. Those calls grew more urgent in recent weeks as the US oil blockade pushed Cuba’s economy into a tailspin. Now,

A tentative step by Cuba’s government to loosen its grip on the island’s economy as it struggles to provide basic services was met with tighter restrictions from President Donald Trump’s administration.

This is the first time Trump has mentioned that Cuba has expressed an interest in reaching an agreement with the U.S.

The Trump administration’s decision to cut off foreign oil to the island is devastating its tourism industry, a key source of income for a government being pushed to the edge.

President Donald Trump hinted Friday that talks with Cuban leaders are progressing and suggested the island’s profound economic collapse could open the door for the United States to regain significant influence over decisions on the Caribbean island just 90 miles off the Florida Keys.

Cuba's President Miguel Diaz-Canel (C) takes part in the "Anti-Imperialist" protest in front of the US Embassy against the US incursion in Venezuela, where 32 Cuban soldiers lost their lives, in Havana on January 16, 2026.

On March 4, electricity was lost in most of Cuba after an emergency shutdown at the Antonio Guiteras thermal power plant (TPP).This was reported by the