Cuba is facing a complete fuel collapse after the government acknowledged it has run out of diesel and fuel oil — the essential supplies for power generation. Overnight protests erupted in Havana with residents banging pots and pans and burning blockades. Energy minister Vicente de la O Levy blamed President Trump's near-total energy blockade imposed over the past four months, stating the country has no reserves remaining.

The crisis stems from Cuba's shattered oil supply chain. For years, Havana relied on Venezuelan crude traded for Cuban doctors and spies, but that ended when US troops seized Nicolás Maduro in January. Mexico delivered one cargo then halted shipments under pressure from Trump, who threatened tariffs on any country supplying Cuba. Only one shipment of 700,000 barrels of Russian crude arrived in March, offering a temporary lifeline. Cuba produces only about 40% of the oil needed for national demand.

Power cuts have deepened to up to 22 hours daily in many neighbourhoods. Hospitals have cancelled surgeries, food distribution and rubbish collection have been disrupted, and the tourism industry — a vital hard currency earner — has been decimated as airlines grounded planes. The government ended price caps on petrol in February, with prices previously set at around $1.30 a litre fetching more than $8 on the black market. The US offered $100 million in humanitarian aid, which Cuba has refused.