“We keep i’m touch with the Cuban leadership, our friends. The situation is truly complex. That’s all I can say,” Peskov told reporters when asked if Russia is prepared to send another shipment of fuel to the island nation.

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel denounced a dramatic worsening of the energy crisis as a result of the tightening of the economic blockade imposed by the United States, which he said seeks to “hold the Cuban people hostage” and “turn them” against their government.

On January 29, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order allowing Washington to impose tariffs on imports from countries that supply oil to Cuba.

The US action has exacerbated fuel shortages in Cuba, affecting electricity generation and vital sectors of the economy, including transportation, food production, healthcare, and education, according to Havana.

At the same time, the US government indicated in a statement the previous day that it is prepared to provide $100 million in direct humanitarian aid to the Cuban people, if the authorities allow it. According to the US State Department, the aid would be distributed in coordination with the Catholic Church and other independent humanitarian organizations.

President Diaz-Canel, in turn, assured that his government would not obstruct the entry of such aid. jdt/arm/arc/gfa