Khaberni - The United States Treasury Department said it would allow companies to apply for licenses to resell Venezuelan oil to Cuba, in a move that could help ease the severe fuel crisis the island is facing.
This decision comes after Venezuela's supplies to Cuba were halted since early January, following Washington's tightening of controls on Venezuelan oil exports after the arrest of President Nicolas Maduro, exacerbating the energy crisis affecting electricity generation and fuel supplies for vehicles, homes, and the aviation sector.
For over 25 years, Venezuela has been the main supplier of crude oil and fuel to its political ally Cuba, under bilateral agreements largely based on bartering products and services.
However, American pressures have halted this course, and shipping data has shown that Mexico - which emerged as an alternative supplier since 2023 - stopped sending new shipments to Havana after last January.
Major trading companies such as "Vitol" and "Trafigura" handle a significant part of Venezuelan oil exports, shipping millions of barrels to the United States, Europe, and India, while storing other quantities at facilities in the Caribbean for resale.
New American Conditions
President Donald Trump affirmed that Venezuela's allies who obtain its oil through barter or debt repayment must pay "market fair prices," noting that these allies include China and Cuba.
According to the Treasury Department's guidelines, any transactions for reselling oil must "support the Cuban people, including the private sector," through exports for commercial or humanitarian use, while transactions involving or benefiting the Cuban military or other government institutions will not be allowed.
It is not yet clear whether Cuba is able to purchase oil under the new terms without preferential privileges, especially since the Cuban government controls the distribution of fuel and energy through state-owned companies, despite the presence of private sector consumers such as private airlines.
Regional Movements and Humanitarian Concerns
The US decision coincides with the arrival of Secretary of State Marco Rubio to the Caribbean to hold talks with leaders who warned that the worsening humanitarian crisis in Cuba could destabilize the region.
Russia had earlier announced its readiness to send a shipment of oil and petroleum products to Cuba as part of "humanitarian aid," amidst widespread electricity outages, long fuel queues, and disruptions in the transport and tourism sectors.
Havana faces one of its worst energy crises in decades, amid UN warnings that the continued shortage of fuel could lead to the deterioration of essential services, including hospitals and schools, if supplies are not sufficiently resumed in the coming period.
