2026 Cuban crisis

The 2026 Cuban crisis is an oil shortage and economic crisis in Cuba caused by an American fuel blockade. The island is dependent on imported oil, mostly imported from Venezuela and Mexico; after the 2026 United States intervention in Venezuela, in which U.S. forces ousted Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro, the resulting blockade of Venezuelan oil destined for Cuba left the island without adequate supply. The United States is motivated by a desire for regime change on the island by the end of 2026.

The United States began blocking oil tankers heading to Cuba in February 2026, targeting companies such as the Mexican state-owned Pemex and threatening the responsible countries with tariffs should they resist. According to The New York Times later in February, this is the "United States' first effective blockade [of Cuba] since the Cuban Missile Crisis". In January 2026, US president Donald Trump called on Cuba to "make a deal before it's too late". Trump subsequently said the US could implement "a friendly takeover of Cuba".

On 13 March 2026, First Secretary of the Cuban Communist Party Miguel Díaz-Canel publicly confirmed for the first time that his government was engaged in diplomatic talks with the United States aimed at addressing the severe U.S.‑imposed oil and energy blockade that had left Cuba facing crippling fuel shortages and widespread power outages. The announcement came after years of frosty bilateral relations and was framed as an effort to find “solutions." Up front, Cuba has agreed to release 51 political prisoners.