The UN warned on February 4 of a humanitarian “collapse” in Cuba as a result of the interruption of the supply of crude oil from Venezuela after the capture of Nicolás Maduro. And, while Donald Trump continues to press for a change of government on the island, Havana has begun to approach other allies, such as Vietnam, China or Russia, to alleviate the energy crisis.

First modification: 02/05/2026 - 04:32

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The Secretary General of the United Nations, António Guterres, renewed this February 4 his call to end the US embargo on Cuba, but this time his exhortation has a more urgent tone, because he anticipates a humanitarian “collapse” on the island.

Speaking through his spokesman Stéphane Dujarric, Guterres recalled that "for more than three decades, the (UN) General Assembly has constantly called for an end to the embargo imposed by the United States on Cuba" and urged "all parties to continue dialogue and respect international law."

"The Secretary General is very concerned about the humanitarian situation in Cuba, which will worsen, if it does not collapse, if its oil needs are not met," Dujarric said.

His voice joins that of the advisor of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) for Latin America and the Caribbean, Darío Álvarez, who recalled that the island has been subjected to the rigors of climatic events that have aggravated the humanitarian situation.

In addition to the recent Hurricane Melissa, which left two million people affected, Cuba suffered in 2024 "two hurricanes in less than 20 days, an earthquake and two energy outages," according to Álvarez's account.

The head of OCHA added: “So far we have managed to mobilize around 23%" of the more than 74 million dollars of the assistance package planned after Hurricane Melissa.

It is believed that 30% of Cuba's energy needs were met through shipments of Venezuelan crude, but since the extraction of Nicolás Maduro by US Delta forces on January 3, Donald Trump has pressured interim president Delcy Rodríguez to cut off supplies.

In addition, it has threatened to impose punitive tariffs on countries that sell oil to Havana, which dissuaded Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum from her intentions to increase the quota of crude oil destined for Cuba.

Although Sheinbaum argued that the reversal was due to decisions by the state-owned Pemex “in the contractual relationship it has with Cuba,” the explanation coincided with Trump's pressure and his reference to the fact that the Government of Miguel Díaz-Canel had “its days numbered.”

This February 4, the general director of Pemex, Víctor Rodríguez Padilla, clarified that there is only one supply contract in force with Cuba and that in the entire year 2025 shipments did not exceed 496 million dollars.

"Last year it was less than 1% of crude oil production. And in terms of the sale we have of oil products, it is 0.1% of Pemex's sales. In other words, it is very, very little," Rodríguez Padilla said in a press conference.

Few options for Havana

While the internal situation worsens, Cuba is trying to reach out to other traditional allies and this February 4, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bruno Rodríguez, reported on social networks that he is in China.

There he met with the head of the International Liaison Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party, Liu Haixing, and with the director of the China International Cooperation Agency (CIDCA), Chen Xiaodong.

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The visit followed another that took him to Vietnam on February 3, where he was received by the general secretary of the Communist Party, To Lam, and the president of the republic, Luong Cuong, and by a telephone conversation with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov.

Press reports reveal that To promised to “support Cuba within his capabilities,” while according to Rodríguez's version, Lavrov expressed to him “his Government's firm rejection of the United States' criminal policies and economic asphyxiation against the Cuban people.”

Vietnam is Cuba's second trading partner and the largest investor in the Asia-Pacific region on the island, with an exchange that in 2023 reached $340 million, according to the latest available data.

China, which donated $100 million to Cuba in 2024, has expressed its diplomatic support, and on January 27 asked that the White House “immediately end the blockade, sanctions and any form of coercive measures against Cuba,” in addition to pledging to provide “support and assistance” to the island.

The threat of darkness

The state company Unión Eléctrica (UNE) announced that this February 4, 52% of the country was expected to be without power.

It is one more episode of the generation crisis that has hit the island since 2024 and that included a blackout in 63% of the territory on January 31.

Five of Cuba's 16 thermoelectric production units, which supply 40% of the country's energy, are currently disabled as a result of breakdowns or maintenance work.

The already weakened national economy has contracted by more than 15% since 2020, a situation that tends to worsen as a result of what the Díaz-Canel Government has described as “energy asphyxiation” by the United States.

With EFE and AFP

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