In less than two months, life has turned upside down for the 11 million Cubans. Life has gone from austerity and hardship to crisis.
When the United States attacked Venezuela at the beginning of the year and forced President Nicolas Maduro to flee to the United States, Cuba lost its source of oil. Poor Cuba got its energy from Venezuela, which in turn received help from Cuba in areas such as health care.
That agreement is gone now, and the United States is blocking Cuba to prevent Cuba from getting oil.
The relationship between communist Cuba and the United States has been tense for decades, but it has worsened after Donald Trump again became president of the United States in January 2025. He has been asked several times whether the United States will attack Cuba like Venezuela to overthrow the regime.
On the night of Tuesday Danish time, he was asked again on board Air Force One.
- I don't think it will be necessary, he said according to The Hill.
Trump also said that his Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, who has Cuban roots, is in contact with the Cuban leadership.
- They should agree to an agreement, because there is a humanitarian crisis, it was said from Trump.
- Cuba is currently a failed nation.
The US has not clearly stated what it actually wants in an agreement with Cuba.
However, American media reports that the Trump administration will, among other things, ensure that there is no wave of Cuban migrants coming to the US, just as Trump wants to get rid of left-wing regimes near the US. Whether it can be done to get rid of the communists in Cuba is another matter.
Blockade hits hard
The eastern state has been communist for over 65 years, but the lack of oil from Venezuela and the blockade are hitting hard.
The inhabitants have been subjected to severe trials in recent weeks. Reuters reports that garbage is starting to pile up on street corners in the capital, Havana. It attracts flies, and a stench of rot spreads from the garbage.
The state media Cubadebate wrote earlier in February that 44 of Havana's 106 garbage trucks are not running due to a lack of fuel.
There are bags, cardboard boxes, bottles and other packaging lying around the garbage bags. Cubans have been rummaging through the garbage to see if anything can be recycled.
- It's all over the city. It's been more than ten days since there was a garbage truck here, Jose Ramon Cruz, a local, told Reuters.
The regime in Cuba is missing more than oil. It also lacks money, and it is Donald Trump who is cutting off part of Cuba's income.
For years, Cuba has made money by sending medical teams out into the world to help countries that are not good at healthcare themselves.
It has been a source of foreign exchange, and according to official figures, healthcare exports brought in seven billion dollars for Cuba last year - 44 billion kroner.
AFP writes that Cuba sent 24,000 doctors and other health personnel to 56 countries. 13,000 of them were sent to Venezuela, but that traffic has ended.
The second largest income comes from tourism, but it has also been hit hard.
Cuba is no longer ready for tourists. There are regular power outages, there is garbage, and there is a shortage of fuel.
Tourism employs more than 300,000 Cubans. Even before the crisis of the past two months, tourism was already being hit. Partly by the US sanctions, partly by the corona pandemic.
Tourist revenues have fallen by 70 percent in six years, writes AFP.
There are also problems with air traffic.
Earlier in February, the authorities announced that they would suspend the refueling of jet fuel on planes.
Countries such as Canada, Russia, Spain and Germany have advised their citizens to stay away from Cuba, which has long been associated with picturesque beaches and cities, cocktails, music and dancing.
/ritzau/
Text, graphics, images, sound, and other content on this website are protected under copyright law. DK Medier reserves all rights to the content, including the right to exploit the content for the purpose of text and data mining, cf. Section 11b of the Copyright Act and Article 4 of the DSM Directive.
Customers with IP agreements/major customer agreements may only share Danish Offshore Industry articles internally for the purpose of handling specific cases. Sharing in connection with specific cases refers to journaling, archiving, or similar uses.
Customers with a personal subscription/login may not share Danish Offshore Industry articles with individuals who do not themselves have a personal subscription to Danish Offshore Industry.
Any deviation from the above requires written consent from DK Medier.
