Cuba is set to launch a plan to address fuel shortages as the United States blocks fuel supplies to the country.
Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel announced Thursday that he intends to launch a plan as early as next week.
He said the island nation would increase its use of solar power and use renewable resources to power vital services such as hospitals, aged care centers and remote areas.
Diaz-Canel told a news conference that Cuba’s solar panels generate about 1,000 megawatts of electricity, accounting for 38 percent of daytime power generation. They were installed over the past two years with support from China.
Díaz-Canel said Cuba is working hard to increase its crude oil extraction and storage capabilities to increase self-sufficiency.
But he said Cuba also had the “right” to receive fuel delivered by sea.
“We will continue to take all necessary measures to ensure that the country can once again receive fuel imports,” he said.
Tensions increased last week after the United States threatened to impose tariffs on countries that send oil to the Caribbean country. therefore, Cubans face surge in food and transportation costs and nationwide power outages.
Describing the situation as “complex,” Díaz-Canel called the U.S. stance “aggressive and criminal” and said it was affecting areas such as transportation, hospitals, schools, tourism and food production.
“The measures we will take, while not permanent, will require effort. Some… are restrictive and require us to adjust consumption and promote savings. There are things we must stop or postpone in order to continue to work in important areas,” Diaz-Canel told a wide-ranging two-hour televised news conference.
Cuban officials have recently praised a call they had with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, although they have not disclosed the details of what happened during the call. Meanwhile, Mexico pledged humanitarian aid, including food, after U.S. President Donald Trump said he asked Mexico to suspend oil shipments to the island.
“How do we farm the land? How do we move around? How do we get kids to school without fuel?” Diaz-Canel asked.
trump card Cuba said last month it would no longer import oil from Venezuela, its top supplier.
A substation failure caused a total blackout in five eastern Cuban provinces on Wednesday night, as the island’s government struggled to maintain power amid dwindling fuel supplies and failing infrastructure.
Diplomatic push
Díaz-Canel reiterated a previous statement from the Cuban Foreign Ministry on Thursday agreeing to dialogue with the United States, but with conditions.
“Cuba is willing to engage in dialogue, but the only requirement is that the U.S. government not try to interfere in Cuba’s internal affairs and not undermine our sovereignty,” the Cuban president said.
Cuba’s top diplomat in the United States, Carlos Fernandez de Cosio, told Reuters this week that Cuba had begun communicating with the U.S. government but had not yet established a formal bilateral dialogue.
