Cuba Announces Running Out of Crude Oil and Fuel Due to U.S. Restrictions
Cuban Minister of Energy and Mines Vicente de la Levy said that his country no longer has any stockpiles of crude oil or fuel, as a result of the oil embargo imposed by the United States.
In a statement to Cuban media, on Wednesday evening, May 13, O. Levy explained that his country's energy system is facing a "critical" situation due to the US restrictions imposed on the flow of supplies since the decision issued by President Donald Trump on January 30.
The Cuban minister added that stockpiles of crude oil, gasoline and diesel have been completely depleted, noting that the country currently relies only on locally produced natural gas and that the energy crisis has led to power outages in some areas of the capital, Havana, up to 22 hours a day.
Cuban Foreign Minister: Rubio is lying
Cuba on Tuesday accused U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio of lying when he denied that the U.S. was imposing an oil embargo on Cuba.
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez wrote on the X platform that Rubio "simply chose to lie" and that he "contradicts President (U.S. Donald Trump) and the White House spokesman."
Rodriguez was responding to comments made by Rubio during a White House press conference hours earlier, in which he said, "There is no oil embargo on Cuba, per se."
"That's what's happening with Cuba, okay? Cuba used to get free oil from Venezuela (...) They used to take about 60% of this oil, resell it and get money in return. It wasn't even good for the people."
Rodríguez denounced the additional sanctions imposed by Donald Trump on Cuba's energy sector on May 1. "Secretary (Rubio) is fully aware of the damage and suffering he is causing to the Cuban people today," he said.
One tanker arrives in Cuba in 4 months
Cuba has been suffering from an energy crisis since January when U.S. forces arrested Venezuelan President and Cuban ally Nicolás Maduro, and Washington threatened to impose tariffs on countries that send crude oil to the Cuban island.
On January 30, 2026, US President Donald Trump signed a decree imposing tariffs on all goods coming from countries that sell or supply Cuba with oil.
The White House said at the time that the measure was aimed at protecting the national security and foreign interests of the United States in the face of what it described as the Cuban government's "harmful policies and actions."
On Feb. 1, Trump announced the start of talks with the Cuban government on regulating oil supplies, which Havana denied, as did the Cuban government with a contingency plan to deal with the crisis after the halt of foreign oil supplies.