Cuban President Lays Out Plans for Countering U.S. Blockade

On March 13, 2026, as the Cuban people continued to resist Washington’s siege of their country, Cuba’s president Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez met with reporters in Havana. His press conference was a follow-up to one a month earlier where he had outlined the extreme adversity caused by the U.S. blockade of oil deliveries to the island and measures underway to mitigate and overcome those hardships.

Over the last month, the U.S. government escalated its threats against Cuba, while U.S. president Donald Trump repeatedly hinted that talks are taking place between Washington and Havana.

Unable to resist taking credit for everything — including his administration’s criminal attempt to starve an entire population into submission, Trump bragged in a March 5 interview with Politico, “Well, it’s because of my intervention, intervention that is happening. … Obviously, otherwise they wouldn’t have this problem. We cut off all oil, all money….”

Trump continued, “Cuba is a failed nation, Cuba also wants to make a deal, and I think we will pretty soon either make a deal or do whatever we have to do.”

With characteristic frankness and transparency, Díaz-Canel responded to Trump’s threats and to journalists’ questions about the everyday challenges the Cuban people are diligently working to overcome.

During the press conference — which was moderated by well-known Cuban journalist Arleen Rodríguez — he assured the participating journalists, and the Cuban people, that he and other government officials would continue to hold regular sessions with the media to update the population on both progress being made and new challenges.

He also made crystal clear that Cuba is a sovereign nation, and its people are fully prepared to defend their revolution arms in hand, if necessary.

The following are extensive excerpts of the March 13 press conference, selected from the original Spanish-language transcript as it appeared in the Cuban daily Granma; photos are also from  Granma. The translation, breakers, and notes are by World-Outlook.

We are publishing the excerpts below for the information of our readers. Due to the length of the press conference, we are publishing the excerpts in two parts, the first of which follows.

— World-Outlook editors

*

(This is the first of two parts. The second can be found in Part II.)

Many Are the Lessons in this Country in these Difficult Times (I)

Miguel M. Díaz-Canel: It has been about a month since [the press conference] in which we focused our attention above all on measures and actions implemented to deal with the energy blockade and the fuel shortage.

Today we can confirm that no fuel tankers have entered our country for more than three months, and that we are working under very adverse conditions, which are having an unfathomable impact on the lives of our entire people. Therefore, under these conditions, […] we wish to provide information and outline the adjustments we have had to make to the measures proposed [at the earlier press conference]. These adjustments are necessitated by the prolonged nature of this economic blockade, and also by the prolonged effects of being without fuel for such an extended period. […]

I would also like to clarify that there will continue to be follow up; that is, we are not going to limit ourselves to addressing questions the press may ask us about the domestic situation. Rather, each of the issues that we address today, at this press conference, early in the morning, we will come back to beginning next Monday, with the presence in various forums of first vice ministers, ministers, and other officials of our government, to address in detail any concern, doubt, or expectation our population may have regarding the current affairs being discussed. At the appropriate time, we will also hold another gathering like this, which, as I mentioned, we intend to make a regular occurrence.

[…]

Talks with U.S. government

Jorge Legañoa, president of Prensa Latina: We […] saw a speech by you a few minutes ago on Cuban television, [during which] you just announced that a set of talks has begun.

[…] My question would be, if we are talking about a process of sustained dialogue, what would be the issues or agenda, the roadmap in a sense, and the principles for that dialogue with the U.S. government?

Miguel M. Díaz-Canel: […] There has also been a lot of speculation and, as has always been the practice of the Revolution’s leadership, we do not have to respond to campaigns that seek to manipulate or stir up speculation, [but] always to report exactly what the current situation is.

These are processes undertaken with a lot of discretion, lengthy processes that must be initiated first by establishing contacts, ensuring that channels for dialogue exist and that there is a willingness for dialogue, and all of that takes time. Based on that, agendas are set, negotiations begun, conversations held, and agreements reached — things that we are still far from achieving because we are in the initial stages of the process.

[…] I can confirm that, in accordance with the consistent policy that the Cuban Revolution has always upheld, under the leadership of the Army General [Raúl Castro] as leader of our Revolution, and my own, and together with the principal bodies of the Cuban Party, government, and state, Cuban officials recently held talks with representatives of the United States government to find a possible solution, through dialogue, to bilateral differences between our two nations.

These exchanges have been facilitated by international actors, and I want to pause here. Whenever we have been in tense situations in our relations with the United States, there have been efforts to seek channels of dialogue, to seek conversation. This is not the first time that Cuba has engaged in a conversation of this kind. I think the most recent example was the way that the Army General led conversations with President Obama […] and we all know what the outcome of those talks was.^[1] Well, now again, a group of international actors has facilitated the development of these exchanges.

What are our objectives in pursuing these conversations, what goals have we set for ourselves?

First, to determine what bilateral problems need to be resolved; second, to determine the ways to resolve those problems; and third, to determine whether there is a willingness — on both sides — to take actions to benefit both our peoples. This involves finding areas of cooperation through which we can address threats and guarantee the security and peace of both our countries, and moreover, the security and peace of our region.

[…]

Effects of U.S. blockade of oil

Randy Alonso, IDEAS Multimedios: […] I think the most pressing, critical [domestic issue] has to do with the energy situation. In recent days the blackout schedule has become longer, and we have had to deal with many contingencies.

What are the practical effects on our country? You were saying that it has been three months since fuel has come in. What are the practical effects on our economy, on our society, of the U.S. decision to tighten its energy blockade? How is this being confronted? What alternatives do we have to somehow mitigate these growing blackouts and their practical impact on all of Cuban society at this time?

Miguel M. Díaz-Canel: Unquestionably, Randy, I would say it is the issue causing the most discomfort and discontent among our people at this time, and, I repeat, it has to do with the energy blockade, with the worsening of our energy situation because of that blockade. It is a situation for which we have been preparing in advance.

[…]

First, it has been three months since any fuel entered the country; so, we are generating electricity during the day with domestic crude oil and our thermoelectric plants, as well as a contribution from renewable energy sources, which is considerable, and as we have said, it has ranged between 49 and 51 percent during the daytime, depending on the sun, and depending also — which is another element I need to explain — on how, amid the instability of the national power grid, we can use that energy from the photovoltaic parks to regulate frequencies and avoid blackouts — which was a new element introduced in the last two weeks, and that I will explain later — and Energas,^[2] which is part of the utilization of gas associated with our national crude oil drilling. And at night we are generating [power] solely with our thermoelectric plants and Energas.

In addition to that, before last week we still had a certain amount of fuel oil and diesel, which we were using in two locations essential to the national electrical grid. […] With no fuel coming in for three months, the diesel ran out and the fuel oil ran out. […]

Keep in mind that during January and February, we had managed to maintain blackout levels no higher than those of December; we had controlled the situation effectively with the strategies we had charted. That does not mean there were no blackouts — there were, and long ones, but not to the same extent as those in recent days.

When these two distributed generation stations came to a halt […] the system [became] very unstable. […] Because we are in a situation of instability, […] the blackout becomes worse. […]

In a situation of instability like this, during the day we actually cannot use all of the output or energy generated by the photovoltaic parks, because we have to regulate — with more or less connection to the solar parks — the frequency of the domestic electrical grid, to prevent another blackout. That is why the shortage we have right now is different from the shortage we used to have and were previously able to manage.

The impact is huge. […] It directly affects the water supply, the pumping of water. […]

It has an impact on the vitality of our production and also on providing services to the population; it has an impact on communications because radio base stations are also left without power; it has an impact on medical services, education, and transportation. And we could go on about how this has a far-reaching impact on all the activities in the daily lives of the Cuban people.

Now, I can say that nothing here is being turned off to upset anyone; on the contrary, we are doing the impossible. Nobody can imagine — I’m not able to describe — and I can only speak from the standpoint of feelings and respect — I have no words to describe the efforts of our electric company workers, who are titans; not only do they make this effort in the face of adversity, but they face the same problem in their homes and in their families. And often, when there is a 30- or 40-hour blackout in one of their communities, affecting their families, they have been working more than 40 hours without rest at a thermoelectric plant, or at a photovoltaic park, looking for a solution to a problem.

For that reason — and I do not say this because I don’t understand the discontent — but it does bother me, or I regret, that there are people who, in the midst of this discontent — which we recognize as legitimate — respond by insulting the Revolution, insulting the government, or insulting the electric company, because it is not the fault of the government or the Revolution; it is not the fault of our national electrical energy system. The revolution, government, and workers are trying to overcome the impossible! It is the fault of the energy blockade imposed on us!

I would ask, what capabilities would other countries have — in the middle of an energy blockade like this one, which is more than three months long — to maintain the levels of electrical generation that we have?

[…]

Impact of U.S. economic war on health care in Cuba

I want to stop here and talk about something that shows the perversity of this energy blockade. Right now, there are tens of thousands of people in the country waiting for surgery that can’t be performed because of the lack of electricity. In recent days, the minister of public health provided very relevant data. But among those tens of thousands, there are a large number of children waiting for surgery because of the impact of this energy blockade on our health system. Nevertheless, our country is alive, our country is organized.

Failed state? Is it a failed state that faces all these situations and seeks to find solutions and that seeks, moreover, to advance at the same time? I don’t remember if it was yesterday or previously, an article published in Cubadebate by journalist Susana Tesoro, recognizing the complexity, and also talking about the beautiful things that happen in this country every day — children going to school, the way a patient with a complicated illness is cared for in a hospital.

[…]

Comrades, the many solutions being found, the way life is being organized — for bread, for culinary offerings, meals for the population; the way that, despite all these limitations, work is being done in the Cuban countryside to produce more food; the way that transportation is being organized for health workers; the way the school year is being conducted in both general and higher education. […]

These are our realities; and these are also expressions of the fact that we have a people who act with creative resistance, which keeps us united, and in that unity, there is also tremendous potential to deal with this situation.

[…]

The development of new [oil] wells is increasing, to boost domestic production of oil and associated gas, and in the first two months of this year, production targets for oil and associated gas were exceeded. With that, we have halted a trend that was taking place in our country, where we ended 2025 with declining production and failure to meet production goals for national gas and oil. This is very important; remember that one of the energy priorities we set is to learn how to live off our resources, and one of our resources is domestic crude oil and its associated gas.

[…]

Almost all bakeries in the country identified as able to change the type of energy used for cooking have now done so; more than 715 bakeries have been converted to firewood or charcoal.

Expansion of power generation from solar parks

Nine hundred and fifty-five photovoltaic systems have been installed in homes in remote areas and in social centers that support human services in the municipalities. For example, yesterday when we were reviewing the situation with some of the provinces, we learned that several already have polyclinics operating with photovoltaic sources alongside a number of social institutions and maternity homes.

So that’s now a reality, we are going on 955, in addition to isolated homes that were also provided with this service. We’re talking about polyclinics, maternity homes, homes for the elderly, isolated homes, places with electronic cash registers, ETECSA [phone company] stations for maintaining communications, funeral homes, and other centers; 120 children with illnesses that require continuous air conditioning in their homes now have the photovoltaic kits that guarantee it for them 24 hours a day. And now we are doing another survey, carried out by the ministry of public health, to extend this service to more families.

Remember when we talked about a group of outstanding workers, mainly in the health and education sectors, for whom 10,000 kits were going to be installed? Well,10,034 kits have been installed, and now they are receiving that benefit.

In the coming weeks, new solar park capacity will be added. We have completed a number of photovoltaic parks that are awaiting final technical approval from the suppliers…, and once technical assistance gives the approvals, they will be synchronized with the national power grid.

Along these lines, I would like to point out the following: there is a project that is not a photovoltaic park. It is the installation of battery stations, to achieve 50 megawatts of battery accumulation. This accumulation is for regulating frequency. This means that these battery stations would assist with what we are now having to do at the cost of the solar parks, and therefore, we would be able to make better use of them, and the domestic power grid would be more stable.

[…]

Before the end of March, we will be adding more than 100 megawatts to the national electrical grid with photovoltaic sources.

[…]

Based on a survey that is not yet complete and is changing every day, there are now 2,247 private entities — we are talking about private businesses — that have photovoltaic systems for their operations; more than 900 state enterprises have photovoltaic systems for their operations; 6,765 homes are connected to the electrical grid through photovoltaic systems; there are 636 solar water pumps for the population — these are above all in community aqueducts — and there are 462 solar pumps for agricultural irrigation. At the same time, investments are being made in hydroelectric plants and wind energy, and possibly by the end of the year we will have a new wind park in La Herradura, in Las Tunas province. We will be recovering wind capacities in the Gibara parks and also connecting new hydroelectric plants.

In the area of electric transportation, you all know that we are promoting electric mobility and the creation of solar charging stations. In our country there are more than 2,665 electric vehicles. There are more than 21,600 electric scooters, and many of these, which are privately owned, have been put at the disposal of services for the population by non-state forms of management through local governments in a number of territories. There are now more than 42 charging stations for this fleet, and what we are proposing is that every automotive fleet that functions with electric power not connect to the national power grid for charging; instead, they should have the possibility of going to a solar charging station, operating with solar energy, and therefore they will not be an additional burden on the electric energy system.

[…]

An investment has been made in 400 electric cars, about 100 of which will be arriving in our country in the coming days, and which we will be devoting to the transport of hemodialysis patients everywhere in the country. Therefore, this service that is so critical to our population, hemodialysis, will be freed of its dependence on fossil fuel. Of course, the electric vehicles used in these services will also have time available to assist with other health services.

[…]

Also, 150 electric tricycles and 15 vans will be added for passenger transport, along with 34 electric cargo vans.

[…]

I emphasize that at no time have we renounced our sovereign right to have the necessary imported oil supplies in Cuba. Even with everything that we are doing, we still need oil to have more vitality in all processes of our national life.

(This was the first of two parts. The second can be found in Part II.)

NOTES

[1] During the two terms of Barack Obama as U.S. president, bilateral talks between the United States and Cuba led to restoration of full diplomatic relations between the two countries, a lifting of travel restrictions — including resumption of direct flights and cruise ship dockings, and removal of Cuba from the list of State Sponsors of Terrorism. This thaw in relations deteriorated rapidly with the ascendance to the presidency of Donald Trump.

For more information on the history of talks between Cuba’s revolutionary leadership and the U.S. government see Cuban Leader: ‘Do We Talk or Negotiate with the Trump Administration’? by Cuban historian and writer Ernesto Limia Diaz.

[2] Energas S.A. is a Cuban joint venture company founded around 2000. It generates electricity by processing associated natural gas from oil fields, representing about 10% of Cuba’s total electrical capacity. It is a partnership between Canadian company Sherritt International (approx. 33% interest) and Cuban state entities.

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