Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel says the United States should lift its blockade of Cuba rather than offer aid, as the country faces worsening power cuts and fuel shortages. Speaking in response to an aid offer, Díaz-Canel argues that the current situation is “coldly calculated and induced,” and frames the US response as politically motivated rather than purely humanitarian.
Díaz-Canel’s remarks come on the same day that CIA Director John Ratcliffe meets with Cuban officials in Havana. According to a Cuban government statement cited by one outlet, the meeting occurs in a context marked by the complexity of bilateral relations, with the stated aim of contributing to political dialogue between the two countries.
Across the reports, both sources describe strained US-Cuba relations and Cuba’s deteriorating domestic conditions, including electricity disruptions. They also link Cuba’s call for an end to the blockade to broader diplomatic contact between the two governments, including the CIA director’s visit.
