Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said on May 14 that his country is willing to accept humanitarian aid from the United States if it is delivered in accordance with internationally recognized practices. However, he stressed that if Washington truly wants to reduce the suffering of the Cuban people, the best approach would be to lift the trade embargo imposed on the island since the 1960s.
The Cuban leader made the remarks on social media a day after the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump offered $100 million in aid to Cuba, conditioned on the Cuban government undertaking 'meaningful reforms.'
Diaz-Canel called the offer paradoxical, accusing the U.S. government of 'systematically and cruelly punishing' the Cuban people. He stated: 'If the U.S. government is truly willing to provide aid in the announced amount and in full compliance with internationally recognized humanitarian practices, it will encounter no obstacles or ingratitude from Cuba.'
According to him, 'the priorities are very clear: fuel, food, and medicines.' Since Trump began his second term in 2025, U.S. pressure on the Cuban government has escalated. In January, Trump cut the flow of funds and fuel from Venezuela to Cuba and threatened heavy tariffs on any country selling oil to Havana, effectively imposing a fuel blockade.
As a result, Cuba has plunged into widespread electricity shortages, disrupting public services, including hospitals. On May 13, Cuban Energy Minister Vicente de la O Levy warned that the country had completely run out of diesel and fuel oil, deepening the energy crisis.
The U.S. State Department issued a statement on May 13 saying: 'Today the State Department publicly reaffirms the generous offer of the United States to provide an additional $100 million in direct humanitarian aid to the Cuban people. The decision lies with the Cuban regime: accept the aid offer or reject essential life-saving assistance and ultimately be held accountable to the Cuban people for obstructing critical aid.'
Also on May 14, a U.S. delegation led by CIA Director John Ratcliffe met with Cuban officials in Havana. According to a statement from the Cuban government, the meeting discussed potential cooperation in regional and international security. Havana also assured the U.S. delegation that Cuba poses no threat to U.S. national security, contrary to previous statements by the Trump administration.
