The U.S. has been restricting oil shipments to Cuba since January, plunging the country into blackouts lasting days at a time.
The U.S. has reiterated its offer of assistance to Cuba in exchange for "fundamental changes" to its communist political regime after CIA director John Ratcliffe visited the Caribbean island nation on Thursday.
Ratcliffe's trip is thought to be only the second time the head of the U.S. intelligence service has been to the country since its 1959 communist revolution.
The CIA director delivered a message to top Cuban lawmakers, according to news agency Reuters, stating that Washington would "seriously engage" with the country's government — but "only if it makes fundamental changes." On Thursday, the CIA posted photos on social media of Ratcliffe in the Cuban capital, Havana, with no context.
In a statement, the Cuban government said that during Thursday's meeting, "both sides ... underscored their interest in developing bilateral cooperation between law enforcement agencies in the interest of the security of both countries, as well as regional and international security." Separately, CNN reported that the U.S. military has carried out dozens of intelligence-gathering flights near Cuba's biggest cities since February.
Cuba is around 100 miles off the coast of Florida. The Trump administration has called Cuba's government "an unusual and extraordinary threat", suggesting the White House could turn its attention to Cuba when the Iran war is concluded.
The nation had been heavily dependent on oil imports from Venezuela, but the communist-run Caribbean island has effectively been cut off since early January a U.S. military operation to remove Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. The White House has also slapped fresh sanctions on a number of Cuban officials and organizations in recent weeks.
The Cuban population has been plunged into blackouts lasting up to 22 hours a day as the oil blockade drags on, sparking protests in Havana. On Wednesday, Cuban Energy Minister Vicente de la O Levy told state media the country had run out of fuel oil and diesel, and had no reserves.
Cuba's government has long condemned the U.S. blockade on the island, insisting it does not pose any threat to American national security.
The U.S. State Department said Wednesday that it was willing to provide $100 million in aid to Cuba, adding that Washington "continues to seek meaningful reforms to Cuba's communist system." "The decision rests with the Cuban regime to accept our offer of assistance or deny critical living-saving aid and ultimately be accountable to the Cuban people for standing in the way of critical assistance," the statement said.
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