CIA Director John Ratcliffe visits Cuba, in what multiple outlets describe as an unusually significant step-up in direct contact between Washington and Havana. The CIA confirms a Cuban government statement regarding the visit. According to the reporting, the trip occurs as Cuba faces severe fuel shortages and resulting disruptions, with the country saying it is out of oil. Coverage links the situation to longstanding tensions between the two governments and to US pressure affecting Cuba’s supply of fuel, which contributes to power outages. France 24 frames the visit as occurring against the backdrop of the decades-long US–Cuba struggle, while RTE highlights the unusual nature of the contact and Cuba’s claim that it has run out of oil. Free Malaysia Today adds that the crisis includes ongoing power outages, attributing them to fuel problems tied to a US fuel blockade. The reports do not describe additional outcomes of the visit beyond the confirmation of Ratcliffe’s travel and Cuba’s public position on its oil situation.