Cuba faces blackout as US oil blockade cripples the country; Trump boasts ‘I could do anything I want with it’

Cuba was plunged into a nationwide blackout after its national electrical grid collapsed, cutting off power to approximately 10 million people. The state grid operator, Unión Eléctrica (UNE), described the failure as a total system breakdown and said investigations were underway to determine the exact cause. The outage marks the latest in a string of prolonged blackouts that have increasingly disrupted daily life across the island.

The collapse comes amid a worsening energy crisis in which outages lasting hours, or even days, have become routine. Experts note that repeated failures have weakened the system to the point where even minor disruptions can trigger cascading nationwide shutdowns.

Amid the crisis, rhetoric from Washington has intensified. Speaking to reporters, Donald Trump made a series of controversial remarks about Cuba’s situation:


“All my life I've been hearing about the United States and Cuba…when will the United States do it…I do believe i will be having the honor of taking Cuba, that’d be a good honor.”

When pressed by the reporter on his ‘taking Cuba’ stance, he suggests “taking Cuba in some form, whether I free it, take it. Think I could do anything I want with it.’”

US oil blockade tightens grip on Cuba

A critical factor behind the collapse is the sharp reduction in fuel imports following intensified US pressure on Cuba. The administration of Donald Trump cut off Venezuelan oil shipments, historically Cuba’s main source of fuel, and warned of tariffs on any country supplying oil to the island.

This policy shift followed the removal of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, whose government had long provided subsidised oil to Cuba. Since then, fuel flows have nearly dried up.

According to ship-tracking data cited by The Guardian, Cuba has received only two small fuel shipments in 2026, one tanker from Mexico in January and a second vessel carrying liquefied petroleum gas from Jamaica in February.

Crucially, no major fuel cargo has arrived at key ports such as Matanzas or Moa, which typically handle crude and fuel oil for electricity generation. Even a tanker loaded by Venezuela’s state oil company PDVSA has remained stranded without departing, underscoring the severity of the supply disruption.

Cuba’s electricity grid was already fragile before the blockade intensified. Much of the country’s power generation depends on aging, oil-fired thermoelectric plants that are prone to breakdowns and require steady fuel supplies to function.

With limited oil available, generation capacity has dropped sharply, leaving the grid unable to maintain stability.

Years of underinvestment and reliance on outdated infrastructure have compounded the crisis, turning what might have been manageable shortages into a nationwide emergency.

Protests erupt amid worsening conditions

The blackout has intensified public frustration, culminating in protests over the weekend prior to the collapse. In some areas, demonstrations turned violent, reflecting growing anger over persistent electricity cuts, food shortages, and deteriorating living conditions.

Residents have faced severe disruptions: food spoilage, halted transport, limited access to healthcare, and water shortages.

Amid the crisis, Cuba has entered talks with the United States in an attempt to ease tensions and restore some level of energy stability.

However, rhetoric from Washington has remained aggressive. President Trump stated that Cuba is “on the verge of collapse”.