Cuba Refuses US Embassy Diesel Request, Calls It Shameless Amid Blackouts

Cuba's government rejected a formal request from the U.S. Embassy in Havana to import diesel fuel for its generators, describing the appeal as "shameless" even as the island's western region reeled from a major blackout that left millions without power. Diplomatic cables reviewed by The Washington Post reveal the refusal as part of escalating tensions between Washington and Havana tied directly to an ongoing American fuel blockade.

The State Department has weighed drawing down staffing at the Havana embassy because fuel shortages caused by the blockade are threatening day-to-day diplomatic operations. Officials said the department could order the departure of nonessential staff if the mission cannot improve its supply of diesel for generators. One potential workaround under consideration would have the embassy import diesel independently from a private company, but that arrangement also requires Cuban government approval, the same approval Havana just denied.

A further diplomatic wrinkle: any reduction in U.S. staffing in Havana would likely trigger a reciprocal American demand for cuts at Cuba's embassy in Washington. Marco Rubio, asked about back-channel contacts with the Cuban government, declined to identify who, if anyone, he was speaking with in or close to Havana's leadership.

Cuba's president said no petroleum shipments have reached the island in the past three months, attributing the drought directly to what he called a U.S. energy blockade. The country is now running on natural gas, solar power, and thermoelectric plants, but depletion of fuel oil and diesel has already forced two power plants to shut down entirely and has curtailed output at solar parks. The blackout that hit Cuba's western region last week illustrated the stakes: millions lost power, with the grid struggling under the weight of a fuel crisis that has no near-term resolution in sight.

The context behind the fuel collapse runs through Venezuela. Critical oil shipments from Caracas to Havana were halted after the U.S. arrested then-President Nicolás Maduro, and Trump and senior administration officials have since warned Cuba of a similar fate. At a gathering of Latin American leaders in Florida last week, Trump said Cuba is "very much at the end of the line" and that he was looking forward to "great change" coming soon to the island.

U.S. officials stressed there is still time to find a solution and that both the embassy and the State Department are actively exploring options. But with Havana blocking even a straightforward diesel import request, the window for a quiet fix is narrowing fast.