HAVANA (AP) 鈥� Massive power outages in Cuba meant that many people awoke Friday unaware that U.S. President Donald Trump on any country that sells or supplies oil to the Caribbean island.
As word spread in Havana and beyond, anger and anguish boiled over about the decision that will only make life harder for Cubans already struggling with an
鈥淭his is a war,鈥� said L谩zaro Alfonso, an 89-year-old retired graphic designer.
He described Trump as the 鈥渟heriff of the world鈥� and said he feels like he鈥檚 living in the Wild West, where anything goes.
After Trump made the announcement late Thursday, he described as a 鈥渇ailing nation鈥� and said, 鈥渋t looks like it鈥檚 something that鈥檚 just not going to be able to survive.鈥�
Alfonso, who lived through the severe economic depression in the 1990s known as the 鈥� 鈥� following cuts in Soviet aid, said the current situation in Cuba is worse, given the severe blackouts, and a scarcity of fuel.
鈥淭he only thing that鈥檚 missing here in Cuba 鈥� is for bombs to start falling,鈥� he said.
Cuba is hit every day with and crumbling infrastructure that have deepened an economic crisis exacerbated by a fall in tourism, an increase in U.S. sanctions and a failed internal financial reform to unify the currency. Now Cubans worry new restrictions on oil shipments will only make things worse.
鈥楥uba is a threat to Cubans鈥�
On Friday, Cuban President Miguel D铆az-Canel said on X that Trump’s measure was 鈥渇ascist, criminal and genocidal鈥� and asserted that his administration 鈥渉as hijacked the interests of the American people for purely personal gain.鈥�
Meanwhile, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodr铆guez wrote on X that Trump鈥檚 measure 鈥渃onstitutes an unusual and extraordinary threat鈥� and said he was declaring an international emergency.
Venezuela鈥檚 government also condemned the measure in a statement Friday, saying it violates international law and the principles of global commerce.
Trump previously said he would halt oil shipments from Venezuela, Cuba鈥檚 biggest ally, after the U.S. attacked the South American country and
Meanwhile, there is speculation that Mexico to Cuba.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Friday that she would seek alternatives to continue helping Cuba and prevent a humanitarian crisis after Trump’s announcement.
Sheinbaum said one option could be for the United States itself to manage the shipment of Mexican oil to the island, although it was necessary to first understand the details of Trump鈥檚 order.
Mexico became a key supplier of fuel to Cuba, along with Russia, after the U.S. sanctions on Venezuela paralyzed the delivery of crude oil to the island.
鈥淚t鈥檚 impossible to live like this,鈥� said Yanius Cabrera Mac铆as, 47, a Cuban street vendor who sells bread and sweet snacks.
He said he doesn鈥檛 believe Cuba is a threat to the United States.
鈥淐uba is a threat to Cubans, not to the United States. For us Cubans here, it is the government that is a threat to us,鈥� he said, adding that Trump鈥檚 latest measure would hit hard. 鈥淚n the end, it鈥檚 the people who suffer 鈥� not the governments.鈥�
The backbone of Cuba’s economy
Jorge Pi帽on, an expert at the University of Texas Energy Institute who tracks shipments using satellite technology, said a key question remains unanswered: how many days’ worth of fuel does Cuba have?
If no tanker looms in the horizon within the next four to eight weeks, Pi帽贸n warned Cuba’s future would be grim.
鈥淭his is now a critical situation because the only country we had doubts about was Mexico,鈥� he said, noting that diesel is 鈥渢he backbone of the Cuban economy.鈥�
Pi帽贸n noted that the Chinese don’t have oil, and that all they could do is give Cuba credit to buy oil from a third party. Meanwhile, he called Russia a 鈥渨ild card: It has so many sanctions that one more doesn鈥檛 bother (Vladimir) Putin,” adding that because of those sanctions, a lot of Russian oil is looking for a destination.
Meanwhile, many Cubans continue to live largely in darkness.
Luis Alberto Mesa Acosta, a 56-year-old welder, said he is often unable to work because of the ongoing outages, which remind him of the 鈥淪pecial Period鈥� that he endured.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 see the end of the tunnel anywhere,鈥� he said, adding that Cubans need to come together and help each other.
Daily demand for power in Cuba averages some 3,000 megawatts, roughly half what is available during peak hours.
Dayanira Herrera, mother of a five-year-old boy, said she struggles to care for him because of the outages, noting they spend evenings on their stoop.
She couldn鈥檛 believe it when she heard on Wednesday morning what Trump had announced.
鈥淭he end of the world,鈥� she said of the impact it would have on Cuba.
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Associated Press reporters Andrea Rodr铆guez in Havana and Mar铆a Verza in Mexico City contributed.
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