Cubans criticize US fuel blockade amid worsening shortages
Cubans are criticizing the US fuel blockade as shortages worsen and rubbish piles up, highlighting the impact on daily life.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
Cubans are criticising the United States and President Donald Trump as a fuel blockade deepens shortages across the country. In Havana, the crisis is visible in everyday life. Rubbish piles up in neighbourhoods because waste collection trucks cannot get fuel. Residents say the rubbish can sit for up to a month, raising fears of disease from rats and mosquitoes. The stench is overwhelming.
Electricity is also unreliable. For many, power returns for little more than an hour at a time. One resident, Anna, 72, uses that brief window to pump water, charge her phone and cook. She blames the US embargo directly, saying it stops fuel from entering the country and deters other nations from trading with Cuba.
Hospitals are under severe strain. Medicines are scarce and equipment is ageing. Dr Roberto Balmaceda-Manent, who has worked for nearly 50 years, says he has never known conditions this difficult. He and his colleagues rely on Cuban ingenuity to provide treatment.
Markets are struggling too. Prices are rising and customers have less to spend. A trader named New Yorker says the number of customers has dropped off. People buy only what they absolutely need, and because they cannot keep food cool, they buy fresh food daily.
The Cuban government blames decades of US sanctions for the crisis. Critics, however, point to years of economic mismanagement. For ordinary Cubans, the consequences are impossible to escape.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | Sky News |
|---|---|
| Electricity is available for only about an hour at a time. | |
| Residents attribute fuel shortages to the US embargo. | |
| Rubbish collection intervals have increased to up to a month. |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
Sky News provided a ground-level report from Havana, focusing on the human cost of the fuel blockade. The tone was sympathetic to Cubans and critical of US policy, using vivid descriptions and direct quotes from residents blaming Donald Trump. The report contrasted the apparent normalcy of daily life with the underlying crisis, highlighting rubbish, electricity cuts, hospital shortages, and market decline. It did not include any official US response or alternative perspectives.
- “All over the city and in every neighborhood, you see these piles and piles of rubbish.”
- “When the power returns, often for little more than an hour, she has just enough time to pump water, charge her phone and cook before the lights go out again.”
- “Yes, of course it's Donald Trump's fault because he doesn't allow fuel into the country.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.