Cuba's fuel shortage stalls UN aid as US embargo tightens supply

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez said the U.S. embargo, in place since the start of the year, prevents the United Nations from delivering the contents of 170 containers of food, medicine and other essentials, valued at about $6.3 million, because there is not enough fuel to transport them. He described the blockade as “collective punishment” that limits not only the Cuban economy but also the work of international agencies.

A Mexican humanitarian vessel, the Asian Katra, docked in Havana on 12 June delivering a new shipment of food and supplies, marking the sixth aid convoy to reach the island since February. The Cuban fuel crisis was deepened after the U.S. halted most petroleum shipments in January, leaving only one Russian tanker whose reserves are now exhausted. UN representative Francisco Pichon warned that the 9.6 million‑strong population faces worsening shortages as the hurricane season approaches, and noted that only a third of the $90 million needed for the humanitarian response has been raised.